Gravity Falls: A SANS-ational Tale
by A Blast of Fanfics
Summary: "Sans, did you really have to make a pun?" "I thought it was punny!" "I must admit, it is quite humerus." "Aren't you supposed to talk about the story, Sans?" "i'm pretty sure the audience gets the idea, g. bone apetit!"
1. Grunkle Sans

**A/N Hey guys! Sorry I'm late with The Sonic/Undertale crossover. I'll get going on that soon but I am starting another series and this is it! It has skele-TONS of references. There will be some Underverse things in here like that and a bit of Camila in it so enjoy! Also, the codes are important though they might not seem like it. Hint: The bold and underlined words are not from the same person. Also, A-1 and Z-26! Have fun!**

Dipper exited the bus and looked at the old, decrepit house in front of him. The house was clearly not up to code and the building looked like it would fall apart any second. On top of the building was a sign that read "Mystery Shack." The "S" had fallen off of the sign and on to the roof.

"I guess this is it." He shrugged as if to shrug off the feeling that they were at the wrong place. This is it. The place he and his sister, Mabel, would be staying for the Summer.

Looking back, he looked at the bus for Mabel. He didn't have to look far into the bus for her.

"A little glitter to make your day SPARKLY!" She said to the bus driver, throwing glitter at the grumpy bus driver who clearly put up a fake smile to stop her from throwing glitter at him.

"I didn't get paid enough when I worked with Mettaton, I don't get paid enough to deal with this. I don't know why I thought any different." The bus driver grumbled under his breath as Mabel stepped down the stairs of the bus with a wide smile.

The bus drove away (a little faster than it should've) as Mabel joined her brother, her smile so infectious she made Dipper smile a bit. She turned from her brother to the building. Her smile got only larger.

"I'm so excited, Dipper! If the building has a history, think of what our Grunkle will be like!" Mabel wrapped her arm around Dipper as they moved towards the steps to the porch.

"I doubt the 'Mystery Shack' has any historical relevance if the government allowed our Great Uncle to live and make a store out of it." Dipper replied, still hesitant about meeting their Great Uncle.

"Stop with your nerd talk! I didn't need to learn how the government works." Mabel retorted, causing Dipper to roll his eyes in disbelief.

"Also, Grunkle?"

"Yup! It's a mix of 'great' and 'uncle'. We can't call him, 'Great Uncle' everytime we want to ask him something and let's face it. We'll be asking for a lot of things while we're here!" Mabel giggled as she walked up the steps to the front door.

"Get ready to meet our Grunkle!" Mabel yelled to Dipper as she knocked on the door. Dipper joined her. They waited.

Dipper wondered what their Grunkle would look like. Was he smart? Would he engage Dipper in philosophical discussions? Would he be funny? Would he amuse Mabel? ...What's his name? Dipper panicked. How could he forget his name?! His Dad repeated it multiple times! What eventually pulled Dipper back from his thoughts was the door opening.

The person who opened the door looked at the twins with a smile. He was as tall as the Twins. His hair was shock white and his eyes were bluish-grey. He wore a white shirt that was partially covered by a blue jacket and black exercise shorts that didn't cover up the fact he was wearing slippers. He was about to speak when Mabel beat him to it.

"GRUNKLE SANS!" She shouted before jumping onto the man. He let out a startled grunt before falling over.

"Woah! Are you okay?" Dipper said, worried for his Grunkle.

"'m okay. i didn't know she could a-DOOR me already!" The man winked and Mabel, still on top of him, giggled and Dipper smiled.

"So... are you Grunkle Sans?" Dipper asked.

Pushing Mabel off, he stood up and brushed his jacket.

"the one and only. you must be my great nephew, dipper and this troublemaker," he pointed to Mabel who was laughing on the floor. "must be your sister, mabel." Sans's smile widened into a big toothy grin. "where are my manners? welcome to the mystery shack, the one stop place for jokes and pranks."

The Twins went into the building. Unlike the outside, it didn't look wrecked at all. There were shelves full of joke books, whoopee cushions, and items that prank the people who pick them up. A sign was hung up, written in Comic Sans that said, "the name, 'mystery shack' is a prank to catch tourists. if you're a tourist, enjoy these pranks and jokes that are at on sale all the time."

A red-headed teenage girl was at the cash register, lazily watching a young kid in a poncho reenact an event she witnessed in gripping detail. A man with a green question mark shirt was fixing a pipe. Grunkle Sans closed the door behind the twins. Mabel wowed at every item in the aisles, sometimes trying them out on herself. Dipper, in the mean time, looked at his Grunkle, who was watching Mabel playfully try to flirt with an attractive wax statue ("so lifelike").

Dipper could see that his Grunkle's smile was genuine but his eyes told another tale. His grey eyes seemed to say that he was tired or that he had experienced untold pain in his past and he was just happy to finally have a little light for the summer. As Sans turned to look at Dipper in confusion, he sheepishly went over to where the sleepy teen and energetic kid were talking.

"And then Undyne was all like 'WHOOSH!' and 'KAPOOSH!' and the gnomes were all like, 'Oh no! Spears!' and then they ran away and Undyne yelled, 'YEAH! GO RUN, YOU LITTLE FREAKS! IF YOU TRY MAKING SOMEONE ELSE YOUR QUEEN, I WILL MAKE YOU DECORATIONS ON MY LAWN! NGGGGHHHHH!' and then she surplexed a boulder and she was so cool!" The kid that looked around Dipper and Mabel's age took a breath before composing herself. "And that's why I can't be queen of the gnomes."

The kid looked winded and she pulled off the hood of her monster-themed poncho to reveal orange hair as she wiped her brow. Her hands and arms were obscured by the poncho which, for some odd reason, didn't have any place for the arms to go. The poncho also included a tail. The red-headed teen let out a friendly laugh.

"You must really like the Sheriff, MK." She replied.

"Oh yeah! Undyne's so cool! She's my hero! When I grow up, I want to be just like her." The girl all of a sudden noticed Dipper standing and watching the conversation. Before he could back out and look like he wasn't eavesdropping, he was caught.

"Yo, Dude!" The girl said, as she ran up to meet him. "I haven't seen you before? Are you new? Did you move here?"

"Naw, MK. He's Sans's great-nephew. You know, the one Sans has been mentioning for a week?" The teenager said before Dipper could respond.

"Yeah." Replied Dipper, rubbing his arm. "My name is Dipper Pines."

"No way! That's an awesome name! Name's Mon- er... Mary Kathrine but you can call me MK for short!" The kid in the poncho responded.

"Name's Wendy." The teen raised her hand in acknowledgement.

"No way!" A voice shouted, scaring Dipper before he realized it was Mabel. She was holding onto MK's poncho by the tail, staring at it in amazement. "I love your Poncho! Where'd you get it, Mikay?"

MK smiled as she realized she got a new name or nickname to be called by.

"If I'm perfectly honest, I don't know where my parents got it from but from the looks of your sweater, you could make one on your own!" MK smiled at the sweater that was so glittery that you almost had to wear sunglasses to see it.

Mabel blushed. "Awww. Thanks!"

Sans came up to the cash register and looked at Wendy. "you can go home early, if you want, wendy." Sans said with a shrug.

"Thanks, Mr. Pines." Wendy picked up her stuff including a magazine and headed to the door.

"See ya guys tomorrow." She said. "And welcome to Gravity Falls." Then she left through the door.

Sans turned to the man with a question mark shirt. "you can go home early too, soos."

"And miss out on this action? Not a chance, Mr. Pines!" Soos turned back to the pipe. "Let's see... I always forget. Is it... lefty tighty, righty loosey?"

Soos turned the wrench to the left, causing the pipe to come crashing down and water to come streaming down. Dipper looked worriedly at Sans. Sans was looking at what happened like as though it happens everyday.

"Don't worry, Mr. Pines. I will clean this mess up." Soos said, just as concerned about it as Sans was.

"well, I never doubt you, soos. i'll be taking dipper and mabel to their room." Sans said with a shrug. He then lazily walked to the back of the shack with his hands in his pocket.

"Grunkle Sans, where is our room?" Dipper asked politely.

"And most importantly, is it sparkly?" Mabel replied with a serious face that hid her joking nature.

"well, we're gonna go into that main house." Sans replied before they reached a door that had a sign that said, "employees only (but if you go in, it's not like i can stop you or anything)".

When Sans opened the door, Dipper and Mabel saw a colorful room. The wall was a shade of dark red and the carpet was blue and purple in a wavy striped pattern. To their right was a table with four chairs surrounding it with a center piece of a rock covered in sprinkles. To their left was a green couch that was right in front of a tv and to the left of that couch was a coffee table that had a book on it. In front of them was the kitchen that had a fridge, an oven, a really high sink, a normal sized sink and a trash can.

"sorry if it's a mess." Sans said in his lazy voice as he looked to a sock that was covered in Post-it notes (not a product placement). "i don't get many visitors anymore."

"What are you saying?!" Mabel said, excitement filling her face. "It's PERFECT! I love it! Where am I sleeping?"

"well, technically this is the living room." Sans said as he sauntered to some stairs in the upper left corner. "your room is upstairs."

Before Sans could reach the top, Mabel rushed past him, almost making him lose his balance.

"Grunkle Sans?" Dipper asked as he walked right beside Sans. "I have a question."

"shoot, kid."

"Why do you have four chairs when there are only three of us?" Dipper watched as his Grunkle's grin fell a little flat. His eyes were pained. Before Dipper could press forward the question, Sans shrugged it off as his smile came back.

"Well, we could always need a CHAIR-man." He said with a smirk. Clearly, he was avoiding the question.

As they reached the second floor, three doors were there to greet them. Sans went past the first door, not even acknowledging its existence. Mabel ran ahead to the next door but Dipper stopped in front of the first door.

The door had a stop sign on it and labels. Dipper mused at the labels as to their meaning, for one said, "NO GIRLS ALLOWED!" while the second one said, "NO BOYS ALLOWED!" and then the last one said, "PAPYRUS ALLOWED." Dipper could already see mysteries unfold. Who is Papyrus? Why was Sans in pain when he was reminded of the fourth chair that was seemingly untouched? Why did he wish to forget there was a door here?

Dipper sighed as he realized that he might never know the answers if he asked his grunkle. He was going to have to piece them together. Then, Dipper heard his sister go into the next door with Sans and so he decided to join them.

The second door led to a white room with light brown carpet. A wardrobe was to the left of the door and so was a lamp. Mabel was jumping on a pink bed that was on the right. The pink bed had a shooting star on the covers. To the left was another bed that was blue and had a tree on the covers. Sans watched and smiled as Mabel continued to bounce.

"Look, Dipper! Sans bought us beds! Now I can party all night!" Said Mabel, giggling.

"heh. if i were a good guardian, i would say that you are not allowed to party all night but since i'm not, i can only warn ya." Sans said, winking before taking out a red bottle and drinking it.

"Yay for Grunkle Sans not being a good role model!" She yelled out.

Dipper let out a smirk but then turned his head to Sans who, in response to the comment, had begun to cough out the liquid that he had swallowed the wrong way. Luckily, he managed to recover with a smirk on his face and Dipper was glad that he didn't have to use Heimlich Maneuver on anyone yet.

"Thank you, Sans, for the beds. You didn't have to... uh... you know... buy them. We have sleeping bags." Dipper said, looking down at his feet as he rubbed his arm.

"naw, kid. these beds were on sale at the local mattress shop. anyways, i can't let my family sleep on the floor." Sans winked at Dipper.

Mabel laughed. Then, while she jumped in the air, moved herself to land on the floor to make a stunning landing. Unfortunately, she didn't quite stick the landing, causing her to fall on her belly. She looked up, laughing. When she looked to her Grunkle, she could've sworn that she saw his right eye glow blue a little bit. Then, he shook off the shock.

"ehhh... you goofballs. why don't you guys go explore the town? there are tons of people i think you would find friendly." Sans said as he stood up. "i'll be hanging out around here to continue the business with soos." He went through the door before turning towards the twins again. "oh. by the way, the door to the right of you room is my room. you can't enter because you need a key to open it but if you want to come in, you can knock and say a knock-knock joke, if you want." Sans shrugged before leaving.

Dipper waited until he heard his grunkle leave the hall and back into the shop before asking the question buzzing through his mind.

"Mabel, what do you think of Grunkle Sans?" He asked, unsure of his own answer.

"I think he is great! He has a sense of humor and he has allowed us to explore the town!" Mabel said, getting up off the ground and getting ready to bolt through the door to the town.

Dipper got in the way of Mabel. "But he has a lot of secrets, Mabel. Like the door with the signs and the extra chair and his room! How can we be sure that he isn't some mass murderer or something?"

Mabel's smile fell a little bit. "Dipper, he clearly cares about us already. If he were going to kill us, he could have done it already. Sure. I see the mysteries too but since I believe he is a good guy, I think those mysteries are things he'll tell us eventually." Mabel smiled a little and it instantly made Dipper forget his doubts and smile too.

"Maybe you're right. I'm probably just paranoid from reading all those mystery novels." Dipper said. "But I can get to the town before you!" At that, Dipper ran through the door and laughed.

"Hey! No fair!" Mabel shouted before running after her brother.

The twins said hi to Sans as they left the Mystery Shack and Sans, who had his head on the table and was about to take a nap, opened one eye to say goodbye. As he closed his eyes, he tried to push away the bittersweet memories that the Twins reminded him of.

Dipper was in the lead but only because he had a head start. To compensate for the disadvantage of his lack of muscles, his mind told him to run through the forest so that she might get farther behind. He found the plan had worked to his advantage as Mabel fell farther behind. When he couldn't even hear her panting and giggling, he stopped for a quick breath.

Dipper wiped his brow before putting his hand on a tree to help support him. Suddenly, his hand sinked a little bit into the tree. Dipper looked to his hand to see that he had triggered something. Pulling his hand off, he realized it was a button of some kind that was exactly hand shaped. Then, he heard mechanisms trigger as the tree opened up to reveal a metal compartment in the tree.

"What on earth..." Dipper said to himself as he looked inside. Inside, through the dust and cobwebs, was a book.

Curious, Dipper pulled out the book and blew the dust off of the cover and marveled at what he had just found. The book's leather cover held the image of a golden hand. Dipper wouldn't have found this interesting if it weren't for the fact that the hand had a hole right in the middle of it. In the middle of the hole was the number, "3".

Even more intrigued than before, he opened to the first page of the book and read aloud.

"In my research of this area, I have found that there are items, places, and creatures that are supernatural in origin. Gravity Falls is not what the locals say it is, and nobody is to be trusted. That is why I will leave this book, that when paired with malevolent intention can be dangerous and lethal, in hiding until someone finds it or this Pine Tree falls. Thus, to the owner of this journal, TRUST NO ONE!"

Dipper gasped. This was it. This could be the adventure of the lifetime if this journal were true... or the writer could just be a crazy person. Either way, Dipper needed to know. He skimmed through the pages of supernatural creatures and places, looking for a name, an identifier, or anything that could identify the Author but to no avail. He had found a mystery and this time, he would not let it go unresolved.

Keeping the Author's warning in mind, he hid the book, sighed as he realized he lost the race with Mabel, and started running to the town.

23-8-1-20 8-1-19 2-12-21-5 5-25-5-19, 19-13-9-12-5-19 1-12-12 20-8-5 20-9-13-5, 1-14-4 9-19 9-20 5-13-15-20-9-15-14-1-12 16-1-9-14 5-22-5-18-25-4-1-25?

 **1** **3-15-13-5-4-9-1-14**


	2. Unspeakable Mysteries

**A/N Fun fact: this chapter was supposed to be a part of the first chapter except there was Fanfiction problems. Welp, here we are! A-1 Z-26**

Mabel ran into the center of town and put her hands up in victory.

"Whose the slowpoke now, Dipper?!" She said, mockingly as she turned around to find her brother not there.

Her smile faded until she heard a familiar voice right behind her.

"Yo! You decided to come here, too?!" Mabel turned to see MK behind her and both of their smiles got wider.

"No way! Mikay?! I thought you were at the shop!"

"Well, I was but when you went to your new room, it felt, like, awkward to be there alone so I came here to see if I could find Undyne." MK looked at Mabel happily.

"Wait a second! Hold the phone! Who is Undyne?" Mabel asked, wanting to get into the Undyne Hype.

"You've never heard of Undyne?!" MK yelled, surprised to see someone not know Undyne. "She is the Sheriff here in Gravity Falls. She is so cool and epic! She has spears and she surplexes things for no reason and... did you hear me tell Wendy the story where some gnomes wanted me to become queen and Undyne saved me?"

"No! Undyne sounds so cool, Mikay! I want to hear that story now!" Then Mabel remembered. "But I have to wait for my slow brother to get here."

"Yo! No worries. I understand... Yo! I forgot to ask your name." MK looked sheepishly at her feet.

"What?! Where are my manners? My name's Mabel." Mabel said, shaking hands with her new friend though they talked for each other for a while.

"Yo! M'bel is a great name!" MK smirked as Mabel giggled at the fact they made nicknames for each other. "We should totally hang out all summer long!"

"You are so right! Maybe we could..." Mabel was cut off when her brother finally sauntered up to the two, reading a book. "Ughh... just like him to get caught up in a nerd book."

Mabel walked up behind Dipper and MK followed suit. They winked at each other and then MK was the first to act.

"Yo! What'cha got there, Dip?" MK asked, scaring the daylight out of Dipper.

"I-it's nothing!" Dipper responded, still shocked as he tried to hide the book behind his vest.

"It's nothing." Mabel mimicked, mocking her brother. "Let me see that!"

Mabel was too fast for Dipper as she grabbed the book. She randomly opened a page and started reading aloud to her bro and MK.

"Monsters live among humans. Unlike humans, they have magic which allows them to attack or defend. Unfortunately, their souls do not live long compared to humans. According to my research, monsters can look like humans by..." At that point, Mabel started laughing hysterically, surprised to find that MK wasn't joining her.

"Bro-bro, why were you hiding this? Ashamed to be found reading fiction?" Mabel teased as she allowed Dipper to grab the book from her.

"Mabel, this book was written by a mysterious author before something happened to him. He wrote that there were supernatural creatures and places all over Gravity Falls and to trust no one." Dipper skimmed through the pages again. "I want to solve this mystery, Mabel."

"What? This author is a crazy person." Mabel playfully whined. "He clearly had something wrong with his head and he believed in things that weren't real, right Mik-"

"I believe you, Dip." MK said solemnly, to Mabel's dismay.

MK put her covered hands in front of Dipper as if to ask to hold the book. Dipper sighed before giving the book to MK. MK flipped through the book until she reached the page she wanted. She turned it over for the twins to see. "Gnomes" the page said and, indeed, it had sketches of gnomes and their lack of weaknesses.

"I was taken by gnomes who wanted me to be their queen. No one believes me, even though they lead me on. No one except Undyne." MK handed the book to Dipper and looked down at her feet.

"I believe you!" Cried Mabel. "I promise!"

"Well, if what you said is correct, MK, we can assume the rest is but we need more proof." Dipper said, skimming through the book.

"Like what?" Mabel asked, clearly interested now.

"Like this artifact!" Dipper said before he turned the book to the other two.

"The Staff of Unspeakable Power?" MK read. "It even has a map to reach it! That is the evidence we need!"

"Well, what are we waiting for?!" Mabel said, excited for the idea of adventure. "Fame! Fortune! Maybe hot guys! Lead us on, Dipper!"

Dipper started speed walking as he followed the map's instructions. The map led them deep into the forest. As he led on, MK and Mabel were getting to know each other.

"So, do you have any friends you can introduce me to, Mikay?" Mabel asked.

"Not very many. Wendy, Soos, Sans... Oh! There's Grenda and Candy! You would like them!" MK said proudly.

"Really?! That's so cool! What are they like?" Mabel asked, interested by the two girls and adding them to the list of possible friends.

"Oh well, they're a riot! They like sleepovers and boys... you would like them. I never really was attracted to boys." MK sheepishly looked away from Mabel.

"Awww. Mikay, you don't have to be attracted to guys to hang out with us!" Mabel said, patting MK on the back.

"Yo. Uhhh... Thanks." MK shrugged. "There's also Frisk."

"Who's Frisk?" Mabel asked, wondering if it was a new friend.

"Oh. You haven't heard of her? She's Sans's daughter... or he's her guardian? I never got that right." MK smiled an honest smile.

"You mean we have a...a..." Mabel tried to figure out the word for what that would be.

"First cousin, once removed?" MK answered, filling in the blank Mabel couldn't figure out.

"Yeah!" Mabel nodded, excited by this discovery.

Unbeknownst to MK and Mabel was that Dipper, still following the map, heard this too and tried to see if it could fill in the mysteries that had been presented.

"Yeah." MK responded. "Frisk went off to college in politics. She's a good person. She was always MERCIful to us."

"What happened to Sans's wife?" Dipper said, scaring Mabel.

"Well... uh... Sans doesn't have one." MK watched confused expressions appear on their faces. "Well, uh... no yet anyway. Frisk has a mother and she's nice and Sans got along well with her but... uh... they didn't get married."

"Awww. That's sad." Mabel said, her matchmaker senses tingling. "It sounds like that was the perfect romantic setting!"

"Yeah, well Frisk's mom is still alive and well so maybe, it's not too late!" MK said, trying to coax a smile that eventually did come to Mabel's face.

Unfortunately, the smile didn't last long when Mabel bumped into Dipper.

"Dipper, what's the big-" Mabel couldn't finish her sentence, for indeed, she did find something big.

It overshadowed them. Dipper did what he did best in this situation: he analyzed the creature, in hopes the book could help them. It was a bipedal creature. A roar escaped its mouth. It roars. He had to get it out of the shadows of the trees to get a better look. Dipper slowly backed up and so did the rest of the party.

Finally, they got a good look at it. It was furry and its lower body looked like a bear but near the head, it changed to feathers and its mouth was a beak. Its big eyes matched the profile of an owl. Dipper didn't need a book to figure out what this creature was. He had read about it in Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons.

"Bearowl!" He yelled, the rest screaming in unison as the bearowl fell onto all fours.

They ran as fast as they could back the way they came. Dipper tried to flip the pages to find the Bearowl page for its weaknesses because they didn't have swords or magic or a healer.

"How close were we to the staff?" MK asked through pants.

"We were so close. It says that it is in a cave." Dipper answered, looking towards MK.

"Then go find the treasure without me!" MK yelled as she turned around.

"Mikay!" Mabel cried.

"MK! What are you doing?!" Dipper yelled.

"Distracting it!" MK yelled as she got closer to the bearowl. Before the bearowl could attack her, she turned to the right and fled with the bearowl chasing after her.

"Go after the treasure!" MK yelled. "This won't be pretty!"

It took a while for the Twins to process what had happened. Both were awestruck and then, Dipper decided that MK's sacrifice would not be in vain and he continued to the cave.

Mabel slouched in sadness, occasionally muttering, "Mikay." in her loss.

The two eventually reached the cave. It was a wide dark cave and Dipper would've lied if he said he wasn't nervous. Once they were in the mouth of the cave, Dipper went next to Mabel.

"I'm sure MK is fine, Mabel." Dipper rubbed his arm. "She sounded like she knew what she was doing. Maybe if we find the staff, we can bring her back to life if she's gone."

Mabel wiped her tears with her sleeve. "Really?"

"Positive." Dipper waited for her eyes to dry. "Awkward sibling hug?"

"Awkward sibling hug." Mabel said with a small smile.

The two hugged each other for a while, each grateful to have each other for company. Then, they finished the hug by patting each other on the back and said "Pat. Pat." with awkward looks on their faces. They had smiled at each other before continuing into the cave.

Dipper didn't have to travel long before they reached a wall. The wall had symbols on it surrounding a triangle and pink heart. Dipper couldn't help but ponder the meaning of symbol. Then, he looked above to see words on the wall. He read the words aloud.

"Can you solve this riddle?

A heart locket, a flower of gold.

A human child, a tale untold.

Who came back from times of old?"

Dipper pondered as to who came back from times of old. He wrote down the riddle in his notebook he always kept with him and continued trying to solve it. He was about to search through the journal when Mabel popped up.

"Dipper! I know the answer!" She went up to the wall. "Nope! I can't solve it."

"Mabel." Dipper sighed. "That's not the answer-"

The wall glowed a bit and then it disappeared, revealing a room that had a stone in the middle of it. Floating above the stone was a staff made of obsidian and a blue crystal on top. Dipper gaped in amazement.

"Told ya!" She said before running to the staff.

Dipper ran after her and panted when he reached there. The staff had runes in it and the crystal looked to be a blue sapphire. Dipper couldn't believe he made it this far. Mabel looked at him with a smile and then made a sign that meant that he could take the staff. Dipper blushed as he picked up the staff. And... he didn't feel any different.

"Mabel, do I look more powerful?" He asked.

"What?" Mabel said, confused.

"Oh. Ha ha. Mabel. Stop with the prank." He said, getting frustrated.

"What?!" Mabel yelled, even more confused than before.

"Mabel." He said, confused but starting to piece together what had happened.

"WHAT?!" She yelled, making Dipper cover his ears.

Dipper put his hand to his chin before he opened the journal to the page about the staff. He read in his head what the page entailed then he slapped his hand to his head. Then, he read aloud to himself.

"The Staff of Unspeakable Power was made by Prankzard, the Prank Wizard. Everything 'protecting' the staff is a prank and even the staff is a prank. The staff grants the user the power of not being able to speak. Other than that, it has no powers. It is unknown what the staff was made for but my guess is that it was to prank his friend..." Dipper stopped when he saw Mabel staring intently at him.

"Dipper, stop acting like a mime. Just tell me what's wrong." She said, rolling her eyes.

Dipper held up the book and pointed to the section he had just read. Mabel read carefully until she burst out laughing. Dipper rolled his eyes as he waited for the mocking to die down. Finally, he put the staff down.

"Are you done yet?" He asked, embarrassed.

"And you're telling me I should read more, Bro-bro!" She giggled. "Grunkle Sans would have a kick out of this!"

"Fine." Dipper sighed. "We can give this to Grunkle Sans."

"Yo, Guys! You okay?" A familiar voice echoed down the cave.

"Mikay!" Mabel yelled as she picked up the staff, put it in her convenient sweater pocket, and ran to her friend.

Dipper sighed in relief at MK being alright. When they approached the cave, they marveled at the sight before them. MK was on top of the Bearowl, riding it like a steed.

"Wow! A Bearowl pet!" Mabel shouted before climbing up on the Bearowl next to MK. "Will you be mine, friend?"

"How did you tame the Bearowl?!" Dipper asked, not knowing he had yelled it.

"Well, it wasn't easy. Just watch." MK said cryptically as she pushed the Bearowl a little bit.

The Bearowl looked like it had glitched out and while Mabel and MK were floating in mid air, there was a tiny squirrel underneath them. Everything clicked in Dipper's mind. The Bearowl was a "protection." Since it was a "protection", it was a prank.

"I think it's a polymorph spell like in wizard books!" MK said as she pulled Dipper onto the animal. "Come one, Chipper! To the Mystery Shack!"

The "Bearowl" ran as fast as it could and it seemed to know where the Mystery Shack was. It was a bumpy ride but eventually, they made it to the Mystery Shack.

"Bye Mikay! Bye Chipper!" Mabel said with a large smile.

"Bye MK." Dipper said, smiling a little.

"Bye Dipper! Bye Mabel! I'm going to ask my parents if I can keep him. See you guys tomorrow!" She yelled as Chipper ran off and a holler was heard from MK.

"Well, even if we didn't get a staff of power, at least we met MK and got something for Sans." Mabel said with a shrug, already seeing Dipper's disappointment.

Dipper smiled a little. "You're right. Even if it wasn't what I thought it was, it proves that this summer is going to be awesome if everyday is like this."

"That's the spirit! Now let's tell Sans about our adventure." Mabel said, leading Dipper towards the door.

"Just don't tell him about the book, okay?" Dipper asked despite Mabel's confused look.

"Fine. I won't say anything." She said, sadly. "Maybe you will trust him later."

"Maybe when he starts to trust us."

"hey kids." They turned to see Sans sauntering through the door with a box. "i found this stuff in the attic. i thought you might want something. this is stuff from when i was a kid."

Dipper and Mabel went towards the box, both looking for something they wanted. Dipper not only was looking for something but also for answers. Sans watched from a far in amusement as to which object the kids would choose. Dipper marveled at the fact that there were two sweatshirts, one red and one blue, in the box. Blue was his Grunkle's color so who could the other sweatshirt belong to?

"Look Dipper!" Mabel put on a pair of old-fashioned pilot goggles she found. "I'm flying an airplane!" Mabel pretended to be steering a plane. Dipper laughed a bit before pulling out a grappling hook.

"Grunkle Sans, why do you have this?" Dipper asked before Mabel took off the goggles and grabbed the grappling hook.

"I want a grappling hook!" Mabel said, staring in amazement at the blue handle and the name, "Sans" written on it.

"it was a part of my outfit when i was younger. actually, i think i might still fit in it. give me a sec." Sans went to the box and pulled out the pilot goggles, the blue sweatshirt (thereby confirming Dipper's suspicions), some exercise shots that had a larger white line than the one's he wore now, some blue and white biker boots, and he put out his hand for the grappling hook which Mabel gave to him just so he could have a complete outfit. "be back in a minute." Sans responded as he went back into the Shack to change.

Dipper continued exploring through the box. The next thing he found was a hat. The hat back of the hat and the visor was blue while the front was white with the image of a small blue tree. Dipper took off his brown star hat and put on the new hat. It was comfortable, had a nice color, and it undoubtedly belonged to Sans in his younger days. Dipper decided this was what he was taking and continued searching.

Dipper found many things that were surprising and mysterious. There was a red scarf that looked untouched for years and two lab coats. The only difference between the two was that one looked untouched and had a nametag that said, "Gaster" while the other was ripped and there was no nametag to be found. There was a glass box that held a tiny pin. The pin had symbols of a circle with wings above three triangles and the pin was strangely dusty inside of the box. Then, there was an unlabeled book. Dipper wanted to read it but Sans came back in his outfit.

Sans looked strangely younger in the outfit, as if time had went backwards and in front of them was a young Sans. The pilot goggles were not over his eyes but rather on top of his head, giving him the look of a daring adventurer. The sweatshirt was zipped up and a pattern over his chest looked like the middle of his ribcage. The shorts, although different, made a good reminder that this was indeed the same Sans and gave the Twins a good idea as to how his fashion choices evolved over the time. Around his waist, however, was a belt that had the grappling hook attached to it. His blue and white biker boots went up his leg until a little bit under his shorts and they were untied, giving even more of an impression of being younger and daring.

"so, what do you think?" Sans asked, as though unsure as to how they would react.

"O...M...G... You look so cool in that outfit, Grunkle Sans!" Mabel said excitedly. "I can't believe you wore that as a kid!"

"Yeah. You look great, Grunkle Sans." Dipper responded as he imagined a young Sans adventuring like they did today.

"gee. thanks, kids. here's your grappling hook back." He said as he unhooked the grappling hook off of his belt and gave it back to Mabel.

"Oh my gosh!" Mabel announced as she pulled out a blue and purple striped sweater. "I love this!"

"thought you might. it belonged to my friend, frisk. she was fun. you would've liked her when she was younger." Sans said, thoughtfully as if thinking back to better times. "you guys can have two things if you want."

"Yes! You are now mine!" Mabel said as she picked up the grappling hook and sweater and ran upstairs to her room.

Sans smirked as he turned to Dipper. "you want anything other than that hat, kid?"

"No thanks, Grunkle Sans." Dipper lied, hiding the unlabeled book behind him.

Sans looked deep into his eyes as if knowing that Dipper was lying. Dipper started sweating when all of a sudden, Sans shrugged and got something out from his pocket. It was a picture.

"you can have this if you want, dipper." Sans said as he gave Dipper the picture before he went into the Shack.

Dipper was all alone outside. He looked around him before he looked at the picture. It was like a family reunion picture. In the front row was a girl around Dipper's age, smiling even though her eyes weren't open and there was a bandage across her face. She had brown hair that fell to her shoulders. She wore the same sweater Mabel had chosen and Dipper knew this was no coincidence. "Frisk." He said under his breath. Frisk's arm was around a boy that was a lot older who looked about in his late teens.

Dipper recognized the boy as his dad. Above Frisk was Sans who was putting on a lazy face as he put bunny ears behind Frisk's head. Right beside Sans was a tall man with white hair. He had brownish orange eyes that were full of arrogance. The man had a white football chest protector and a red scarf that looked like a cape in the wind. The man was in a goofy dramatic pose behind Dipper's dad.

Dipper immediately realized that the red scarf he saw in the box was the man's. Dipper turned the picture around to see the back just in case it had words. The only words were "Also Remember". The words were unmistakably Sans's but the handwriting looked like it was full of determination and focus instead of his lazy attitude he usually had. Dipper opened up the blank book up, only to be disappointed that the first page was blank. It looked like that the book could hold pictures and the paper said, "dipper, place the photo here. that photo is all i have left of our family -sans".

Dipper realized that Sans knew he took the book and that rather than hiding it, he allowed Dipper to keep the photo and the book. The least Dipper could do was keep his Grunkle's wishes and that is exactly what he did before he ran inside the Shack to find Mabel and start his adventures in Gravity Falls.

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"that will be 10 bucks." Sans said with a smile as a man held out a black staff and asked how much it was.

The fun part about Sans was that he was able to read words from people's lips. It was like he was reading dialogue from a black box in a video game. He imagined his words would be in Comic Sans. Despite that, he knew what the man had said.

"10 bucks?! That's a bargain for a staff of unspeakable power!" The man had said and Sans correctly guessed it.

"yup. no doubt about it. that staff belongs to you." Sans replied as 10 dollars came rolling his way.

As the man left, Sans could imagine the face the man would have when he realized the prank was actually a prank on himself. At the thought, Sans laughed under his breath until he felt a nap coming on.

 **23-8-1-20 8-1-19 1 10-15-21-18-14-1-12, 1 8-1-20, 1-14-4 9-19 14-5-22-5-18 20-1-11-5-14 19-5-18-9-15-21-19-12-25**

1 16-9-14-5 20-18-5-5


	3. The Legend of the Ents

**A/N Okay guys. So first, sorry for the delay but I have good/bad news depending on who you are. My vision of this story is to have the characters of Gravity Falls and Undertale meet in a Gravity Falls-esque setting. This is where it will differ from Gravity Falls. My plan is to have the episodes to be new and fresh rather than a retelling of the same episodes. The episodes will accomplish the same objectives as the original episode but in a different way. A perfect example was the pilot chapter(s) I wrote. It brought introduced the Journal and the quirkiness of Gravity Falls but in a different way.**

 **Ok. Why am I saying this? Well, we are coming upon a chapter in the future that I want people to be prepared for because of a major change I have in mind that could be changed back if people don't like it. I might alienate the few followers I have but this is my story and this is what I chose to do. Here we go. I replaced Gideon. (Hears booing) I know! Important character that people like as a villain! I'm sorry but I can promise you that who I replaced him with is, in my opinion, a just as worthy opponent. This person technically belongs to a different game but I don't care. For those who are wondering who this mystery person is... let's just say that they showed another psychopath a BAD TIME!**

 **Anyways, this is an idea as I said before and if you don't like it, feel free to tell me so. Finally, whoever solves the coded messages get to ask me any question through pm or review. Anyways, here we go! (A-1 Z-26)**

Mabel and Dipper were having a lazy morning. Sans was no where to be seen but Soos had told them that he had went into town for a while and would soon come back. Mabel was watching the television with a concentrated stare as she watched a clearly CGI robot host a show. Dipper, on the other hand, pretended to read a newspaper when in reality, he was studying the picture Grunkle Sans had given him in secret. It was like a happy reunion frozen in time. Grunkle Sans seemed much more lively, his eyes looked genuinely happy and his smile looked less lazy but rather energized. Many questions teased Dipper's mind but only one mattered.

Why did Sans give him this? What was the significance in this picture that was important to Sans? Maybe he wanted him to know the truth. Maybe it was like Sans was giving him the end of a thread and then walking away so that Dipper could follow the rope to its completion. Dipper sighed before putting the picture back in his pocket and actually reading the newspaper.

Meanwhile, Mabel watched in amazement as this legitimate robot sat in his seat and looked at the camera.

"Hello there, viewers and welcome back to MTT's Interview Show. I am your host, Mettaton, and coming up on today's edition, a wrestler with a body figuratively made of steel, James Dena!" Mettaton motioned to a wrestler who came out on stage and struck a pose before taking a seat on the couch next to Mettaton.

"A 14-year-old girl with a shield of comebacks and soul as tough as a gem, Nora Galaxy!" A young girl came out on stage, waved to the audience, and then took a seat next to the wrestler.

"And finally, a robotic TV host with legs so hot and a personality like no other... Oh wait! The last contestant was ME!" The robot host said in fake amazement as the audience laughed.

"We'll be back after a word from our sponsors!" Mettaton said before the TV changed to an advertisement.

The screen showed a boy and a girl looking down at their feet in shame, occasionally looking at each other from the corner of their eyes.

"What's wrong, kids?" The male narrator asked.

"We're bored." The girl said.

"Yeah, and there's nothing to play with in this white space." The boy agreed.

"I know what you could do!" The narrator said as the kids looked up in confusion. "You could get... A GIANT HAMSTER BALL!"

The two kids were amazed as two hamster balls surrounded them and the duo started running around laughing.

"Thank you, Mysterious Narrator!" The two kids said at the same time, give or take a couple of tries.

"Buy Giant Hamster Balls. They used to be $100 but now, they are on sale for $99.99! Buy now!" The narrator said before the commercial ended.

Mabel gasped. A hamster ball? One that was Mabel-sized? That was perfect! If only she had $99.99 so that then she would show Mikay and her friends. She gasped again. What if it was Bearowl-sized?! Chipper would be able to fit in it! It would be so cute!

"Mabel, look at this!" Dipper said, oblivious to his sister's astonishment. "'Monster Photo and Story Contest. Witness the adventures of Willie and the Windigo and the story of the legendary Gobblewonker. Have something to top these? Submit your monster story and picture for a chance to earn a cash prize of $200!' Mabel, we've seen way stranger things than these stories."

Dipper looked at the two photos. One was of a boy, presumably Willie, standing next to a Bigfoot-looking man who was just old and hairy but was named, "The Windigo" while the other was a picture of a plesiosaur from a dinosaur book. Dipper scoffed these photos and stories. They weren't even real monsters. Then, Dippercame up with an idea.

"Mabel, what if we got a picture of creature, wrote a true story about it, and then split the prize 50/50?" Dipper got more excited thinking about it.

"Yes! If we win the contest, then I will be able to buy the hamster ball with a penny to spare!" Mabel smiled as Dipper rolled his eyes.

"hey, kids. i'm back." A familiar voice echoed through the house as their Grunkle Sans entered into the room. "i've gotta special event for family day." Sans smiled before turning to see what Mabel was watching.

"Didn't those cute advertisements make you want to buy whatever they're selling?" Mettaton said as the show came back on. "I sure hope so or else I'll be out of the job, am I right?" Laughter went through the audience.

Sans's face turned to a grimace. "Mettaton."

"What do you not like about Mettaton, Grunkle Sans?" Mabel asked, as if sensing his distaste for the host.

Sans sighed as his expression softened to a tired look. "i guess just don't get the appeal of a metal robot who cares more about his looks than his audience. he only cared once and that was it."

"Awww... I'm sure there's something about Mettaton you like." Mabel replied.

Sans sighed again before he changed to a more lightened expression. "anyways, for family day, i was thinking of surprising you while we drive to the place."

"Oooooh! Is it the mall? City hall? Undyne? End of the line? Wow! I think I made up a song!" Mabel said before repeating what she just said to a tune she made up.

"Maybe it will be the forest where we can adventure and find new mysterious creatures." Dipper said with enthusiasm.

Sans chuckled at his niece and nephew's overactive imagination. "you'll just have to find out! let's get into the car."

As Sans sauntered to the car with his usual slouch in his back, Mabel skipped right next to him, hopping and laughing. Sans watched with an air of admiration and curiosity for the girl. Dipper on the other hand walked right behind the two, hiding the Journal underneath his vest.

Sans stopped when they reached the driveway. There were three vehicles there. The first one was a tricycle with a horn. Sans looked at it as if he was reminiscing before, as usual, he shrugged off the bittersweet memories and continued. The next vehicle was a slick, expensive, red car. It had not top but a window and differed from the tricycle beside it. Again, Sans ignored that car but Mabel had some interest in it.

"Look, bro bro!" Mabel said as she caressed the side of the car. "Imagine riding in this car. Driving down the highway, wind in my hair!" She proceeded to brush her hair with her hands.

"here it is." Sans said as he pointed to a blue car. It didn't look expensive but it didn't look cheap either.

Sans checked his right pocket and then his left and then his inner pockets until he found the key he was looking for. On it was a keychain that said, "This is a Comic, Sans." He unlocked the car for the kids and they both jumped in.

"So, where are we going, Grunkle Sans? I want to know so that then Dipper doesn't know and you know how he is about mysteries." Mabel said in rapid succession.

"Hey!" Dipper said playfully as he lightly punched Mabel in the arm.

"nope. if i told ya, then it wouldn't be a secret, right?" Sans slyly smiled as he turned the car on and drove into town.

Mabel guessed every single building in town, hoping to get it right eventually. Meanwhile, Dipper looked at the photo of his father and his Grunkle Sans. The smile that Sans had looked so genuine. It didn't look pained but rather playful. The question buzzing through Dipper's mind was what changed? Sans's smiles now looked tired and depressed, even if it were genuine. What made him so happy then? It must be something in this picture, Dipper concluded. Why else would Sans give it to him?

Finally, the car stopped and Dipper was brought out of his thoughts. "we're here." Sans said as he turned the car off and put his keys in one of his many pockets.

Dipper looked up to see something he didn't expect to see. The building was rather quaint and small. On the sign, it read, "Gravity Falls Museum of Natural History". Dipper's face turned into a smile. Finally, his Grunkle understood his need for knowledge and had given him a chance. Unfortunately, while Dipper was in heaven, Mabel wasn't.

"Awwwwwww! A nerd place?! I thought you said this place was cool, Grunkle Sans!" Mabel whined as she crossed her arms.

Sans turned to Mabel in confusion and was clearly flustered. "b-but you get your own personal tour with me. it is guaranteed to be filled with bad puns." Sans said with a wink.

"Awful puns?!" Mabel straightened up as her mood lightened. "Then what are we waiting for?! Adventure! Artifacts! Maybe Hot Guys! Let's go!" She immediately marched up the steps as Dipper walked up with a smile after her. Sans chuckled to himself and shook his head as the two reminded him of two other siblings. He then sauntered up the steps.

Dipper was almost blinded by the knowledge. All around, there were display cases and exhibits and at its center, a dinosaur with five heads of different species, five tails of different species, ten arms, ten legs, and spines, spikes, armor, and plates all over its back. Dipper walked over to the dinosaur's plaque and read to himself.

"'Polysaurus. Named after the amount of heads, it has the physical prowess of a Giginotasaurus and the size of an Argentinasaurus. The famous paleontologist, Walter Northwest, found this dinosaur while surviving in the wilderness for 14 months before being found by the search party in a wilderness retreat that was the size of a mansion and came with monkey butlers and parrot servants.' Yeesh. I can taste the tall tales just from reading it." Dipper cringed at the thought.

"i'm guessing this dinosaur never got BONELY!" Dipper spun around to see Sans chuckling at his own joke while Mabel giggled.

"Dudes, that's no way of getting a-HEAD!" A voice said as the Pines saw Soos.

"Good one, Soos!" Mabel said, joyfully.

"hey, soos. anythin' new?" Sans asked.

"Nothing much, Mr. Pines. I got a new shirt in the mail. Let me put it on." Soos promptly took out a shirt out of a box and put it on over his green question mark shirt only to reveal that the new shirt was the same as the old shirt. "How do you dudes like it?"

"Yeah... I prefer that shade of green." Dipper said, struggling to find something to say about the "new" shirt.

"I know, right? This green is more my thing than the old one." Soos said, looking down at his shirt.

"i'm GREEN with envy." Sans said as a random rimshot went off as he winked. Dipper looked around in confusion for the source of said drum only to find none.

"Well, at least you aren't singing the BLUEs." Soos responded with a wink back as Sans smiled as his interest peaked.

"ya know, green is the best color. it's CYAN-tifically proven." Sans shrugged and winked again as another rimshot came out of nowhere. Dipper couldn't help but look around again.

"You know, I RED a book about that." Soos said with another wink.

"ORANGE you glad it wasn't a different color?" Sans said as instead of a rimshot, a laugh track came on. Dipper just decided to not even bother.

"Well, I guess I better YELLow the news out to the entire world." Soos shrugged.

Sans was about to respond when Mabel but in.

"PURPLE!" She yelled, as if it were a pun.

Sans chuckled and patted Mabel on the back. Dipper just rolled his eyes in frustration.

"Aren't you proud of me, Mr. Pines? I outlasted you!" Soos said proudly as Mabel realized this entire thing was a competition.

"yeah... but only because you had this goofball helping you." Sans smothered Mabel in his jacket as Mabel pretended to try and escape.

"Go Team Soos!" Mabel tried to yell from Sans's jacket only to have Sans pull her out of his jacket and mess up her hair.

Mabel giggled before wriggling out of reach of her Grunkle. Dipper turned away from the silliness and looked up at the dinosaur. His logical mind told him that this skeleton was a mish-mash of many different dinosaurs. He knew that it had happened before when a scientist switched the heads of two long-necked dinosaurs and called it an "apatosaurus." Even though the head was a brontosaurus, the name stuck.

Still, there were little details that he couldn't dismiss. Surprisingly, the bones fit perfectly and scratches from past battles were consistent with the bones that seemingly belonged to other dinosaurs. Dipper secretly opened up the Journal and looked through it to find anything about this dinosaur.

He searched until he found something he didn't expect. In this tome of knowledge, there were blank pages. Questions buzzed in his head. What happened to the Author? Why would there be blank pages? Did he record all there was to record? Dipper shook his head. No, if he had recorded all there was, then this dinosaur definitely would've been there.

Then an idea formed. He could record what was not recorded before with the blank pages. Not only that, he could add pictures, sketch the creatures, and write down information. He would be the second Author of the book. Not only that, he could send a picture and a story about the newly recorded creature

And this museum could be the place to start. If the dinosaur wasn't documented, then there might be other creatures that weren't either. Dipper was smiling from the idea... which quickly changed when he watched as a grappling hook grabbed one of the skulls of the Polysaurus by the eye socket and pulled it down.

Dipper immediately knew who it was when a yell rang out. "GRAPPLING HOOK!"

Dipper turned to see Mabel happy at herself as Soos looked with curiosity and Sans looked with a lazy "Well, I can't stop her" look. When the skull landed in front of her, she looked at it, surprised that it was that easy to yank off its head and then she shrugged sheepishly.

"I was just showing off my grappling hook. I didn't mean to rip off its head!" Mabel said while looking down at her feet.

Suddenly, a commotion came from the back of the museum as a blond-haired girl around the Twins' age came through the crowd. She wore a purple dress and shoes that were expensive and a purple headband that had a star on it. At first, she looked like as though nothing would startle her.

"I don't know what that noise was but-" the girl cut off her own statement as she looked up in horror at the ripped off head of the dinosaur. There, she stood in shock for a little bit.

"Who's that?" Mabel whispered to Grunkle Sans.

"Pacifica Northwest." Sans growled as he suddenly became very serious. "She's rich as rich can be. She's like Mettaton but with all the looks and none of the charm."

"Oh! She doesn't sound that bad!" Mabel whispered a little louder, remembering how Mettaton never failed to make her laugh.

"Oh... You haven't seen her yet." Sans said, still angry.

"WHO RUINED MY ANCESTOR'S LIFE WORK?!" Pacifica yelled after she processed what had happened.

"Uhhh... Mabel, I'm afraid I'm going to have to side with Grunkle Sans on this one." Dipper whispered.

"Yeaaahhh..." Mabel responded, a frown replacing her optimistic smile.

"Uhhh... Dudes... Maybe we should, like, bolt or something." Soos whispered to the two twins who both nodded in response. The three ran towards the exit of the museum. As they were running, Dipper was able to see a rock carving of people among a circle of trees in the forest. The only thing was that the trees had hands and eyes and facial features, all of which didn't normally belong on trees. Dipper took note and continued to run despite his weak legs.

Meanwhile, Pacifica was slinking around the dinosaur like a lioness looking for her prey as she held the skull in her hand as if she were about to perform Shakespeare. She wanted, NEEDED, to find the person responsible or make someone responsible for the decapitation of the beloved Polysaurus.

"Well! Anyone confessing?" She yelled out to the crowd that was forming. Sans was annoyed and angry of the Northwest families' antics. He knew they were rich but did they really have to throw their weight around. He would've cursed under his breath if it weren't for the fact he thought the kids were right behind him.

Suddenly, an old voice came from the crowd. "Woah there, whippersnapper." Sans sighed in relief upon seeing the man. The man was wizened and had aged well, giving him the look of a wizard in books and movies. He was slouched and all of his hair was white. One eye was closed permanently. He came up to Pacifica. "What seems to be the problem?"

"Look what someone did to my family's beloved heirloom! Look what they did, Gerson!" Pacific whined as she pointed to the crowd in accusation.

Sans knew that Gerson would handle this. Nobody ever hated Gerson. He was wise and he had a reputation of being both wise and gentle and understanding as well as being a peacemaker. And luckily for the crowd, he worked at the museum.

"Now, now, Pacifica. I am sure we can put the head back. Just let me-" Gerson said as he tried to take the skull from her. Unfortunately, she pulled it away.

"No!" She cried. "I want to hold on to it until it can be attached." She looked angrily at the crowd. "Could you please leave?!"

Sans sighed. Another crisis solved. After a scare like that, the kids deserved a treat.

"hey. you kids wanna-" Sans was surprised to turn around and see absolutely nothing. He panicked a little. Where could they have gone? "dipper? mabel?"

Sans panicked even more when he didn't hear any sign of them. "those kids are gonna give me a heart attack. Kids!" He yelled as he ran out of the museum at the fastest speed he had ever been at.

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"So... what you're saying is that that carving showed tree people in a circle that could be in the forest?" Mabel asked curiously.

"Yeah. Then, if we take the picture and I write down our adventure, we are sure to win that competition!" Dipper said, excited by the possibilities. "Also, I can fill out a page in the Journal about creatures that the Author never found!"

"Yeah! And I would get my hamster ball!" Mabel said while Dipper looked at her skeptically.

"Dudes, that would be so cool. Imagine figuring out what trees do every day and then earning a wish from them because we found them" Soos joined in, overjoyed by the prospect of adventure.

"Soos, we already know what plants do all day. Also, I'm not sure if they'll give you a wish." Dipper said, a serious expression replacing his smile.

Suddenly, Mabel's smile disappeared when she remembered something. "I dunno, Dipper. What about Sans?" Mabel asked, looking down at her shoes.

"Look, Mabel. I know what Sans was trying to do today but it was a disaster. We can't expect to win the competition by looking at exhibits and listening to puns!" Dipper responded, frustrated.

"Ok." Mabel said rather glumly, expressing how Grunkle Sans would've felt.

Dipper looked at his glum sister and, feeling guilty, tried to come up with the best thing to say. "We can make it up to him later."

"I-it's fine, Dipper." Mabel said, immediately trying to lighten up. "Let's just go."

"Alright, Dudes! Amazing awesome adventurers, coming through!" Soos yelled out into the forest.

"Yeah! Wishes! Trees! Maybe Hot Tree-guys! Let's go!" Mabel yelled as they followed Dipper through the woods.

Unbeknownst to the three that Sans had heard everything.

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Sans came out from behind the pillar at the top of the stairs and sighed. Well, even if they didn't have fun with him, at least they were having fun in Gravity Falls. What would help him wait for them to come back?

Sans knew the answer. He opened his jacket to grab a bottle of red liquid. All the monsters knew that what he actually was drinking was ketchup but all of the monsters covered each other. He opened the bottle and put it up to his mouth only to find that the bottle was empty.

"aw, shoot." He said, cursing himself. That was his last bottle. How was that even possible?! He calculated at the rate of consumption each day that the amount he had was a lifetime supply. He had bought that supply four months ago.

Sans chuckled. "those kids must be really drivin' me to drink."

Welp, Sans had a choice now. He had his membership to the grocery store suspended which was another story entirely but he could still go there... and spend all his money on ketchup or... he could go to Grillby's, put it on his tab, and maybe get a couple ketchup bottles to last him until he was allowed to buy things from the grocery store again.

Easy choice. Sans pulled out his keys from his pocket and opened the car door. He entered the car, adjusted his mirrors, and began his drive to Grillby's.

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"Okay. Okay. Try my name!" Soos exclaimed excitedly.

The trio had gone deep into the forest where it was dim and damp with barely any sunlight reaching the surface. Dipper, luckily, was able to still see his way as they continued. As they walked, Mabel and Soos were playing a game.

"Okay. Here I go." Mabel said before Soos started doing a rap beat and Mabel sang along.

"Soos! Which rhymes with Moose! Which rhymes with Goose! Which rhymes with Loose! Which rhymes with Juice! Which rhymes with Zeus!"

"Dude! You are really good at this!" Soos responded happily. "Do Dipper next!"

Another rap beat was made and Mabel happily complied. "Dipper. Rhymes with Zipper! And also Ripper! Rhymes with Tipper! And also Sipper! Rhymes with Flipper! And also Chipper! Rhymes with Bipper and also Bepper!" Mabel giggled after making those words up.

"Mabel, please!" Dipper turned around, frustrated. "We have to find these trees and if they could, they would've run away by now!"

"I thought that that song was lovely." A female voice said, her voice going at a leisurely and slow pace when she said it.

"Awww. Why thank you!" Mabel blushed. "See! Somebody likes it!"

"Mabel?! Who said that?" Dipper said, pointing out the obvious that neither Soos nor Mabel had realized. "Who are you? Where are you?"

"I'm right here, precious boy." The voice was behind Dipper. Dipper turned to see a cherry tree in front of them with a mouth and eyes. The trio looked dumbfounded at the tree creature as she spoke again. "My name is Harper. Welcome to the City of Tree Ents."

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"heya, grillby." Sans said as when he opened the door to the bar.

Right then, everybody in the bar greeted Sans like a celebrity. Some shook hands, others hugged him. Man, if he knew that leaving the bar for 6 months and then coming back would give him celebrity status, he would've done it sooner.

Once the commotion died down, Sans took his usual seat at the bar. A man with really red hair and glasses that covered up his eyes was washing a cup and of course, greeted Sans warmly.

"Sans. Nice to see you again." He said in his usual silent language. "You just can't stay away, huh?"

"what? and miss out on the good food of this fine establishment i helped you make?" Sans responded. "after all, it was a WARM welcome to come back to." A rimshot rang out as everybody laughed at the pun.

"The usual?" Grillby asked, knowing full well that the usual was ketchup.

"you know me well." Sans said with a wink. Grillby immediately pulled out a ketchup bottle and inspected it before taking off the sticky note that said "Reserved for Sans." and then giving it to him.

"sorry for not paying the tab off. i'll do it soon." Sans said apologetically after drinking the ketchup.

"No." Grillby answered, earning a confused glance from Sans. "You helped me out many years ago and that gave me a gift I can't pay back."

"so?" Asked Sans, out of curiosity.

"I hid the fact that everything you put on your tab has already been paid and always will be paid." Sans choked on his ketchup.

"if this is a joke, grillby, it's really funny." Sans said, chuckling nervously. "i mean, what ever would make you want to do a thing like that?"

This time, Grillby chuckled. Sans was actually astonished to actually SEE Grillby's laugh come out of his mouth. One of the miracles of having a human form, he guessed.

"You might be surprised that at one time, you weren't a bag of lazybones. In fact, you were one of the most hyperactive monsters I knew. To add to that, you are my friend." Grillby smiled. It wasn't just a happy smile. It was the type of smile you would share with an old friend.

Sans smiled. "heh. i didn't know that little favor i did for you meant that much to you."

"Yeah. I don't know what happened to you but back then, you were really somethin'. You were optimistic, hyperactive, funny, and most of all, intelligent. I mean, you're still funny and intelligent. I just mean that... you're more... reserved and quiet about your troubles." Grillby said, honestly.

"What do you mean? I have no troubles." Sans said defensively.

"C'mon Sans. We both know that's not true. You used to tell me everything. How Papyrus was bullied at school. How your Dad didn't understand you. But... you have been dealing with much worse now, haven't you?" Grillby saw Sans's hands shake.

Grillby shook his head and shrugged. "I mean, you don't have to tell. I just mean that you aren't the same. You were more like... that Dipper kid."

"How do you know about my great-nephew?" Sans eyed suspiciously.

"It's kind of hard to not hear about the two twins when they are being talked about by a certain Monster Kid." Grillby winked.

Sans sighed. He was glad that Dipper hadn't taken up drinking. He had to seem a little responsible.

"Oh. Yeah. Those two are great kids. Top of the line. They are so much like their Grandpa." Sans sighed. "Sometimes I wish they could meet him..."

Sans's eyes widened as he retreated to his mind. An idea. He could do it for the kids. If he could just find...

Sans shook his head. "ehhh... anyways, grillby, another round of beverages on me for everyone in the bar."

Everyone seemed to hear the announcement and immediately started thanking Sans for the generous offer. Sans picked up his new bottle of ketchup.

"cheers and bone apetit!" He said as he winked and took a swig.

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The trio stood dumbfounded in front of the cherry tree as more trees came to life. Soon enough, Dipper realized that the trees that came to life were only in a circle. All of them were different trees that were native to Oregon and they had just as different personalities.

"Harper! What is with the ruckus?!" A disgruntled big leaf maple tree asked.

"Oliver! They're human children." Harper responded defensively. "You sound grumpy and that's coming from a bitter cherry tree!"

"If it makes you feel any better, Harper, you are the sweetest bitter cherry tree I have ever met." Said a black cottonwood.

"Nobody cares what you say, Matilda!" Shouted a California hazel in response.

"Glad to see you still hate me, Scarlett." The black cottonwood said, rejected.

"Excuse me!" Dipper said, the first of the three humans to shake off his shock. The trees stopped arguing and stared intently at the children in curiosity and wonder. "Are you guys... the tree people?" He asked, for lack of a better term.

"Oh. We prefer Ents. You know, like from that movie!" Said a male pine tree.

"That's right! Mas-" Scarlett laughed at the disgruntled look the pine tree was giving her. "I mean, Orion. Orion, you're a genius!"

"I still stand by my name." Orion said, trying to hold on to his dignity.

"Uhh... How do you guys know about recent movies?" Mabel asked, simply out of curiosity.

"Oh sweet human child. Sometimes, humans come here and leave us tablets to use until they run out of battery life." Harper said with a smile before turning into a frown. "Nobody has come here in a couple of months. I'm afraid that they might've forgotten us."

"But dudes! You Ents are so cool. Why would anyone forget you?" Soos responded.

"Sometimes, humans forget. It's a flaw of their nature. They forget important events in their history and when they meet a consequence of those events they'd forgotten, they attack." Oliver responded, still grumpy as ever.

"But they don't usually forget this soon, Oliver. I hope nothing befell them." Harper responded, worried.

"I'm sure nothing happened to them. I'm sure that they just forgot and will soon come back." Said Matilda, as gentle and kind as ever.

"Stop lying, Matilda." Scarlett responded as Matilda muttered under breath.

"Wait. What do you guys do for fun?" Dipper asked, as he wrote down all the information he had gathered. When nobody spoke up, he asked again. "Do you guys do anything for fun?"

"We... have known each other for centuries. We have very little to do or talk about." Matilda said as she looked to Scarlett who, for the first time ever, looked pleased at her.

"Aww. But we can talk to you guys! We can have fun! Look! Sparkles!" Mabel said as she started throwing glitter everywhere. The trees hooted and hollered as they joined the excitement.

"So... What do you guys wait for?" Dipper asked.

"We wait until our saplings get old enough to talk." Said an Oregon white oak, scaring the trio as she came to life. "By then, we will start withering. At least we can talk with them for ten years, at most."

"Stop scaring the children, Oakley." Harper gave a stern star at Oakley who simply rolled her eyes and remained emotionless.

"But it is true what she said." Oliver answered. "In ancient times, humans would keep the Ents company until their saplings were fully grown. Now, we're always lonely."

"So... you guys just suffer until you... pass?" Dipper asked, nervous as to how to address the matter.

"Oh don't be silly, Dipper! They don't-" Mabel looked up at the somber faces of the Ents. Even Oakley who seemed emotionless showed some form of sorrow.

"Oh man. That sucks, dudes." Soos said as he took off his hat.

"Well, we manage. You don't know how lucky you kids are to have a family and people that want to do things with you. When our kids come around, it's already too late." Harper said.

Dipper realized the wisdom in the tree's words. These trees had no one to call them family but the Pines twins did. Sans was there. And Dipper had pushed him away just because a dinosaur head came off of a skeleton. It hurt Dipper now and the words he had said stung him more than it did when he said them. Guilt. It was such a petty thing.

Dipper was so deep in his mind that he barely heard the barking.

"What is that?" Mabel asked, a bit worried.

"Dudes, it feels like a mini earthquake." Soos said, laughing as his entire body shook with the ground.

"It's the Stonewolves!" Cried Harper in alarm.

"What are those?" Dipper asked, half because of curiosity and half because of fear.

"They're wolves with a bite as hard as granite. Let's just say their bite is worse than their bark." Oakley answered, as emotionless as ever. "Their bark is a thunderclap. Their run is an earthquake."

"Will they harm you guys?!" Mabel asked.

"No! They can't harm us! They can harm humans though!" Oliver said, for the first time losing his grumpy attitude.

"Quick! Climb onto our branches!" Matilda urged.

"Don't listen to Matilda! Climb onto our branches!" Scarlett said as Matilda gave a glare before rolling her eyes.

The trio didn't have to be told twice. Mabel was the first to climb up Harper's branches and Soos climbed up Scarlett's branches. Dipper was the last one up. He would've been squashed Dipper if it weren't for Matilda's idea to toss him in the air with one of her branches where he could land on a higher branch.

Dipper sighed, relieved as he saw many gray creatures run underneath the treetops. He realized soon that the wolves were literally made of rock. They barked and ran as they continued their way.

"Why did they attack us?" Soos asked.

"They didn't. They come down from the mountain randomly. They go around Gravity Falls and then return to the other mountain." Scarlett answered.

"How long will it take for them to pass us?" Dipper responded as he looked down below.

"It could take hours! Their pack is huge! There are probably thousands of them!" Harper answered in alarm.

Dipper couldn't believe it. They couldn't stay in the trees for hours. They needed to return to Sans and apologize and maybe return to that family day he had planned. Then, he remembered.

"Harper, when do the trees thin out a bit?" Dipper inquired.

"Just about the outskirts of Gravity Falls, I would presume." She answered.

"Perfect." Dipper smiled at the cleverness of the plan. "We're going to climb along the treetops!"

"Great idea, Dipper!" Mabel responded with a smile. "That way we can reach Grunkle Sans."

"Alright, dudes! Let's go!" Soos said as he started to climb among the trees.

Mabel followed after Soos, laughing and giggling as she swung from branch to branch. Dipper was the last to go.

"Sorry that we couldn't hang out longer but we need to apologize to our Grunkle Sans." Dipper said, apologetically.

"It's fine, my dear boy. I think I've had enough social interaction to last me a while." Harper smiled a bittersweet smile. "Shower your Grunkle with lots of attention for me, okay?"

"Will do. Thank you." Dipper responded as he followed after his friends as he heard all the Ents saying goodbye to the trio as they continued through the trees.

The trio went fast and carefully through the treetops. The wolves would sometimes try and snap at them, sometimes succeeding by ripping a hole in Soos's shirt, Dipper's vest, and Mabel's sweater. At one point, a wolf had hit Mabel's face and her head band, a blue headband with stars, came out and fell to the ground to be crushed by the stonewolves.

"Hey!" She yelled before she tripped and fell through the tree tops.

"MABEL!" Dipper yelled as he heard her scream on her way down.

Before she hit the ground, Mabel landed on a weak branch that was lower than the rest. She let out a sigh of relief before realizing that the branch was making her slide down to the edge of the branch towards the path of the stonewolves. Mabel gasped as she went through the leaves of the branch and the slid onto a stomewolf. She was surprised that it didn't hurt more to fall onto the creature before realizing that the leaves she had went through had cushioned her fall.

Unfortunately, she was now on the back of a stone creature that was dangerous and going at fast speeds.

"Dipper!" She cried out as she zoomed past the trio. Dipper didn't know what to do. He was high above the trees and they weren't going nearly the speed of the stonewolves.

"Mabel! Cry out for help!" Soos yelled, trying to reach Mabel's ears.

"What?! Why?!" Mabel asked, trying to project her voice.

"It's a Gravity Falls safety rule! If you cry out for help, someone might find and help you!" Soos said, as he hoped someone would hear them.

"And who would help her at a time like this?!" Dipper asked. "How could someone stop a wolf going at least 30 mile per hour?!"

"Well, there's a legend of a sher-" Soos was cut off as Dipper covered his mouth.

"We're not risking her life on a legend!" Dipper said.

"But isn't that what we were doing with the trees?" Soos asked after his mouth was uncovered.

"No! I mean... yes but Mabel wasn't in front of a stampede of wolves when we did that!" Dipper responded, frustrated at Soos.

Meanwhile, all options went through Mabel's head. She could, obviously jump off but that would make her a pancake. She could walk on top of the wolves but the wolves might bit her and then she would literally be food. There was her grappling hook!

She aimed her grappling hook towards the trees above. She was still practicing how to aim the thing. Hopefully, it would work now. She aimed it to a branch and then shot it. Unfortunately, it didn't grab anything. The wolves were going so fast that they had bypassed the branch. The end of the grappling hook fell as she tried to reel it in.

I guess this was her last option. She would cry for help. She took a deep breath and swallowed her pride as she got ready. And when she yelled, it was said that everyone in Gravity Falls heard it. That is except for everyone in the bar and Sans was too drunk to be able to do anything anyways.

"HELP!" She yelled out. "SOMEBODY HELP ME!"

 _You cry for help..._

 _And somebody came._

A blue spear shot up from the ground and hit one of the wolves surrounding Mabel. The wolf fell to the ground and went still. She gasped as she turned to see where the spear came from. A figure in armor came out from the darkness. The only thing visible was her ponytail which held red hair. In her hand was a blue spear that, like electricity, coarse and move in her grasp. All of the wolves stopped and turned towards the figure. They all growled as the figure finally spoke.

"So, you think you can take someone from my town?" The figure said, the voice sounding a little deep and yet feminine.

Dipper and Soos stopped their run when they saw the wolves stop and they saw the figure too. Dipper was confused. Who would wear armor like that anymore?

"Heh. I should've known you wolves would do something like that." The figure seemed to shrug a bit. "It's your tradition to run between the two mountains, right"

The two sides were silent. It was like they were sizing each other up and the trio could only watch in anticipation.

"Well..." The figure's pose shifted as she went into a warrior stance. "TOO BAD! WHY SHOULD YOU GUYS CONTINUE THAT TRADITION WHEN YOU'RE ABOUT TO DYE! NGHHHHHHHHH!"

Mabel screamed as the wolf she was under ran towards the figure along with the entire pack. Of course she had to fall on the alpha. Just her luck today. First the headband, then the wolves, now what?

The wolves looked like they would get the figure but before they could attack, the figure jumped into the air, going up higher than the trees. She aimed her spear and then let it go. Mabel ducked her head when she saw the spear go towards her. She heard the spear hit home and expected pain... but it didn't come. She opened her eyes to see the spear lodged in the wolf's head. The wolf slumped over but Mabel jumped before the wolf could fall on her.

"MABEL!" Dipper yelled, drawing Mabel's attention. "UP HERE!"

Mabel climbed up the tree as fast as she could, dodging the attacks of wolves that had seen her run. Dipper hugged her when she reached the top. It was an awkward sibling hug which again ended in the two saying, "Pat. Pat." To each. The two siblings couldn't say anything as they watched the ensuing chaos. A battle between the mysterious figure and a whole bunch of stonewolves.

The figure had made it away from the wolves, resulting in many wolves falling on the floor, dead. The wolves ran as they charged again towards the figure, a new anger brewing after their alpha's death. The trio could physically hear the smirk the figure had as she walked towards them, another spear in hand. She was so brave. In fact, they heard taunting.

"I've suplexed many boulders in my life! Maybe those were your grandparents!" The figure said, the wolves getting closer by the second. "Maybe I can suplex your alpha after I'm done!"

The wolves were getting pretty close to the figure when all of a sudden, a blue wall appeared behind the figure. No. Not a blue wall. It was a whole bunch of blue spears. Not only that, it seemed like they were thrown at the wolves. The wolves seemed to realized that the spears were more than enough to kill all of them that they started to run the opposite way.

"I KNEW YOU GUYS WERE CHICKENS! JUST WHEN THE BATTLE GETS GOOD, YOU START LEAVING?!" The figure taunted.

Unfortunately, the spears seemed to know that the wolves were running away because all of the spears hit home. The wolves fell dead except for one weakling who could barely stand, let alone run. The figure walked up to the wolf, which was whining in fear. The figure didn't have a single spear in her hand.

"I let you live so that the rest of your kind knows what happens when you mess with my town." The figure pulled off her helmet so that the wolf could see her face. "Remember my face, little wolf, so that the rest of your kind knows not to invoke the wrath of UNDYNE!"

Mabel gasped. Mikay had told her about Undyne. She knew that Undyne was awesome but after seeing Undyne in action, she knew why Mikay would obsess over her day and night. Dipper seemed to understand too as he jotted down notes about the stonewolves and Undyne who seemed supernatural just by how real she was. Everything Mikay said was right. She must have a special artifact that allows her to shoot spears. He wasn't going to ask about it since it seemed that said artifact was in the right hands.

The little wolf ran in fear as he ran to another pack and the trio could get a good look at Undyne's face. She had tanner skin than Sans and she had red hair and freckles spotted her face. What was odd was that her right eye was cover by an eyepatch and to prove it was for real purposes, the end of a scar poked out from beneath it. Her one eye was a orangish brown.

Undyne yelled in excitement as she picked up the alpha's rock body and suplex it. Just like what MK said, it was and I quote, "so cool." After that, she brought the two children and one Soos down from the tree.

"You guys should be more careful. You're lucky I was there to FIGHT them for you." Undyne said as she tried to sound responsible. "Anyways, aren't you guys Sans's family?"

"Yeah." Dipper said in astonishment. "You know him?"

"Of course I know him." Undyne said, playfully. "He's one of the laziest bones I know." She chuckled.

"Do you know MK?!" Mabel said loudly.

"You mean that little troublemaker? Yeah. I know her." Undyne said, suddenly sounding a bit exhausted. "She... uh... I mean she's a good fan and all but her Undyne stalking has to stop."

Undyne perked up. "Well, I have to get back to work. If you want to know where Sans is, he's at Grillby's, drinking like there's no tomorrow." She laughed at this.

"That's probably our fault." Dipper said, apologetically. "We left him at the museum and he wanted to have a family day..."

"Nah." Undyne said, solemnly. "I wouldn't blame you. Just... be careful with the old guy. He's been through a lot. He lost his mom when he was a young adult and his brother... your grandfather... well, you know what happened to him."

The twins pondered this. They both had heard about their Grandpa. He had died when they weren't even born. Somehow they didn't realize how this affected Sans. The two must've been close knit like the twins were. To Dipper, that must've been the missing piece to the puzzle of why he wasn't too happy. It was because he lost his family. Even more to the point, Dipper and Mabel, their parents, and Frisk were technically the only family he had. All of them had moved away at that. If Dipper had that problem, he would've been in the same boat too.

"Anyways, you three keep out of trouble but if you do, call for help anytime." Undyne said as she walked away, leaving the twins to their thoughts.

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Sans was sitting at the bar still but he had resorted in his drunken state to tell puns to the guests of Grillby's. He would be delighted every single time the people would laugh.

"i'm glad you guys still like my puns. after all, seven days without a pun makes one WEAK!" Sans winked as everyone in the bar laughed and Sans took another swig. He had made it almost like a drinking game. Each time they audience laughed, he would take another.

"i don't know about you but i think this is just HUMERUS!" Sans took another swig as the room applauded and cheered.

"i think this is awesome, TIBIA honest!" Sans took a swig. That's when he saw the door open and Dipper and Mabel come in. He spit out his drink immediately before wiping his mouth with his sleeve.

"w-well, it was nice to KETCHUP with you guys." Sans said with a wink. "Bye." Sans picked up a few ketchup bottles that he had saved for home and then gave Grillby a tip before going outside with the twins.

"geez kids. you gave me a start." Sweat beaded on Sans's forehead. "so, have fun adventuring?" Sans smiled. It wasn't fake. It was quite genuine, clearly holding no ill will towards the twins' sudden disappearance. "get any good pictures?"

"Uhhh... no." Dipper admitted, looking down at his feet. Sans's face changed to a look of confusion. "Grunkle Sans, we learned about... well... what happened to your family."

Sans seemed to shiver at the thought. It seemed to confirm Dipper's suspicions. He wasn't trying to hide secrets, rather he didn't want to be reminded of what happened.

"Yeah. We learned that that's why you wanted to hang out with us today." Mabel said, following Dipper's posture. "So, we made this." Mabel put out her hand and in it was a card.

The card was purple and on the front, it said, "We're SAUR-y!" And on the front was a T-Rex. Sans smiled as he opened it up. Inside on the left was the picture Sans gave to Dipper. On the other, it said, "I think we are a PINE family."

"Do you forgive us, Grunkle Sans?" Dipper asked, sheepishly.

Sans didn't answer immediately. Instead he took that time to forcefully bring the twins into a hug. They laughed as he messed up Mabel's hair and then took off Dipper's hat and messed up his before putting the hat back on.

"of course i forgive ya. in fact..." The twins moved away from him as he looked through his pockets for something before he found it. It was an old fashioned camera. "c'mon kids. let's take a new family photo!"

The twins happily complied as they gathered around their Grunkle. In the end, their picture ended up with Sans in the middle, putting bunny ears behind Dipper to his left while Mabel laughed. All three were happy and all three held a new understanding for each other and for the rest of the day, they went through the Natural History Museum where there were lots of puns, pictures, and information.

And it was all Sans ever wanted.

 **23-8-1-20 8-1-19 1 23-18-5-14-3-8, 1 19-3-18-5-23-4-18-9-22-5-18, 1-14-4 1 19-20-21-16-9-4-9-20-25 2-5-25-15-14-4 3-15-13-16-1-18-5?**

1 17-21-5-19-20-9-15-14 13-1-18-11


	4. A Mountain Above Gravity

**A/N Welcome to some good stuff! Lore! A Love Interest that I disliked from the beginning! And most of all, a preparation for the Costume Ball. Welcome to the Sans-ational tale equivalent of The Inconveniencing. Let's go! Caesar Right Shift.**

It was a late evening for the Pines Twins and the two tried to find something to do for the last hour. Dipper half-heartedly suggested going on an adventure by the "book" but they had gone on so many adventures lately that it was more fun to relax. Wendy looked at the Twins in lazy fascination, a small smile on her lips.

That's when she got an idea to help them out of their boredom. And it was a good thing too because Dipper had retreated to a book about jokes, a rare event for him to be caught doing, and Mabel had resorted to speaking flattery to herself in one of the display case windows.

"Why, hello, Ma'am. Why you look lovely today!" She said to herself before changing her voice to sound like someone else's. "Why thank you!" Then, she changed back to her regular voice and gasped. "Where on earth did you get that nice sweater?!" The other Mabel was about to respond when Wendy decided to intervene, despite her humored smile.

"You two want to see somethin' cool?" She said lazily.

"Sure." Dipper said with a bit of enthusiasm.

"Yeah! Something to do!" Mabel shouted as she answered Wendy.

"Follow me." Wendy said as she got up from the cash register and walked around to a wall. "Now, we all know you like mysteries but can you solve this one?" Wendy said playfully, her back towards the wall.

Mabel looked at the wall in utter amazement while Dipper watched Wendy in confusion. Wendy winked before she elbowed the wall and a squeak sounded. A door opened and what it revealed was stairs leading up. She held the door open for the Twins and the duo walked up the stairs in wonder.

Wendy looked back and forth. Nobody in the shop. Not even Mr. Pines. With a mischievous laugh, she closed the door softly behind her and at a good time too because afterwards, Sans entered the shop.

He held a can in one hand and a can opener in the other as he looked over to the register. No Wendy. Sans looked up at the ceiling with a bright smile. She was a professional slacker. The first step was to not be caught where you are supposed to be and she certainly knew that.

He started opening the can with the can opener. He couldn't fault her. There was no business anyway. He should probably close the shop early. He took the top of the can off as he continued to look towards the ceiling in thought. He put the can to his mouth before opening his eyes in shock and choking a bit as he coughed out the disgusting substance. He looked to the can and then slapped his head. He should never buy things when he was drunk on ketchup. After all, the label said plain and clear that it was not ketchup in a can but tomato paste.

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Wendy joined the Twins as they reached the end of the passage. She then opened a trap door right above them. Fading daylight streamed through the door as she climbed up a ladder to the top and the twins followed suit. When they reached the top, the Twins gaped in awe at the sight. They were in top of the Mystery Shack and through the pines and oaks was the sunset that was about to fade into the horizon.

Meanwhile, Wendy stared at the view like as though she saw this everyday and maybe she had.

"Pretty cool, huh?" She said as she walked to a level platform and the Twins followed.

"This is AMAZING! You can see the whole town from here!" Mabel said enthusiastically.

"Yup. I come up here when business gets slow." Wendy sat down on a lawn chair set up on the platform. She picked up a pair of binoculars that was next to it and looked through it.

"What are you doing with those?" Dipper asked in curiosity.

"Looking for anybody that would see us." Wendy put the binoculars back to the side of her chair. "Step number one of slacking off: Never get caught. Your Grunkle Sans taught me that. As it turns out, he was a professional slacker back in his day." Wendy said as she pulled out a bucket next to her.

Dipper laughed awkwardly. "Yeah. You don't say." He said, scratching the back of his head.

Wendy pulled out something out of the bucket. "Here." She said as she gave Dipper what she pulled out. It was a tomato.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" Dipper asked.

"You throw it, of course! Sans said that we're not allowed to throw rocks. Usually I would break that rule but he said that I was allowed to throw tomatos." Wendy shrugged. Then, she pointed to a pine tree across the parking lot. "There's a bullseye on that tree." Then, she took out another tomato and threw it. It hit the center of the bullseye.

"Bullseye!" She said in triumph.

"Nice job, Wendy." Dipper said, scratching his arm.

"Here, Mabel." Wendy said as she gave Mabel a tomato.

Mabel gasped as she went to the very edge of the platform. She twisted her face in pure DETERMINATION as she tried to aim it before throwing it at the target. It hit the inner circle.

"Nice one, Mabel." Wendy congratulated as she smiled. Mabel giggled and smiled back.

"Woooh!" Mabel cheered. "I did a good!"

It was Dipper's turn. He felt sweat form on his forehead, not from exertion but from nervousness. He tried to use his mind to find a way to hit the target but for some reason, it wasn't working as usual. Instead, he just closed his eyes and threw the tomato towards the tree.

The tomato landed short by a couple of yards and instead hit a tourist's car left unattended. The alarm went off and Dipper, in shock, looked to Wendy.

Instead of laughing at him or looking shocked, she cheered. "Nice job! Bonus points for hitting the car!" She said energetically.

Dipper blushed at the recognition... or so he thought. That's when a blue van pulled up into the parking lot and out came a red and orange monster... oh wait! That's MK, Dipper realized. She bounced with excitement as she yelled to Wendy.

"WENDY! Ready to be cool and awesome!" MK called out to Wendy with enthusiasm.

"Oh. Right!" Wendy said, the Twins realizing she had forgotten. "Tell the gang I'll be right there!"

"I've gotta run. You promise you guys won't tell your Grunkle about this place? I want a secret place away from Sans." Wendy said, honestly and sincerely.

The twins nodded as they both took their hands and "zipped" their mouth shut. Wendy smiled. "Thanks guys." She then went through the trapdoor and winked to them before closing and going to the van. Then, MK entered the van with a hop and the van drove off.

Dipper couldn't help but smile and, unbeknownst to him, a blush had formed on both of his cheeks. Of course, Mabel, being the awesome twin she was, noticed and acted accordingly.

"Oooooooo! Looks like Bro-bro has a crush!" Mabel said, looking with glee and happiness.

"What?! No!" Dipper said, flustered with his cheeks turning more red in embarrassment.

"Yes you do! You have a crush on Wendy!" Mabel said, knowing full well that she was annoying Dipper into submission.

"No! I mean, it's not like I stay up all night thinking about her." Dipper said, waving away Mabel's attempts as he knew this statement would never be true.

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At 10:00 pm, Dipper was wide awake. He was awake for when Sans went into his room but he didn't care. All he could do was stare at the ceiling and think. But all he could think about was her...

"Oh dang." He said, half because he realized that Mabel was right and half because he just realized what he go himself into.

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It was the next day and it was a relaxing day. Dipper couldn't stop thinking about Wendy, no matter how hard he tried. He couldn't stay focused and even reading his Journal couldn't distract him. He was helping Grunkle Sans bring a box down from the attic when he dropped the box on the floor when he ran right into the wall next to the door. Dipper thought that Sans wouldn't notice but he sorely underestimated how perceptive he was.

"what's the matter, dipper?" Sans asked, a hint of curiosity in his voice.

"I-it's nothing, Grunkle Sans." Dipper lied as he scratched his arm.

Sans didn't buy it, making Dipper question how much more perceptive Sans was. In fact, Sans seemed to arch an eyebrow when he saw Dipper scratch his arm. Sans gave him a deep stare. Then, he shrugged.

"alright. if you don't wanna tell me, that's fine. i'm not one to talk." Sans said with a wink. "but if you do wanna talk, don't hesitate to ask. i've experienced it all."

Sans continued to carry his box but what Sans had said about experiencing all events added another layer of mystery. Could he really know what it was like to have a crush on somebody and yet not know if your crush likes you back? Dipper thought about that has he placed the boxes on the floor of the living room.

Sans opened up one of them and took out a joke book. He opened it up to find a quantum physics book. He thought to himself before shaking his head and putting it back in the house. He then pulled out a whoopee cushion that was connected to a rubber band and connected it to his hand. He smiled before taking it off and putting it in his pocket.

Dipper looked around. Mabel wasn't in the living room and neither was MK or, with a sense of relief, Wendy. Well, if he wanted to find out whether Sans experienced it, now was as good of time as ever.

"Grunkle Sans." Dipper said, making Sans look at him right in the eyes.

"yeah, kid?" Sans said lazily and yet, in a strangely serious tone of voice.

"Have you ever liked someone? Like as in like like someone." Dipper clarified but luckily for him, Sans seemed to understand.

The tension Sans had never known he had fell away and he sighed in relief. The kid was fine. Nothing to worry about. Then, there was the question itself. He didn't have to think about the answer but he wondered if he should tell Dipper about it. Then, he concluded that it wouldn't hurt to tell him. After all, it wasn't as if his love life mattered anymore.

Sans sighed and swallowed his pride before answering the young boy who stared at him in avid fascination.

"yeah. i have." Sans answered, quieter than usual.

Dipper was stunned. Sans really knew what he felt? Tons of questions entered his mind. Who was she? Did she like Sans back? And most of all, what happened to the two? Sans wasn't married so what happened? Unfortunately, Dipper couldn't bombard Sans with questions. Instead he boiled it down to a few questions.

"Was she nice?" Dipper asked, subtly asking for more details.

Sans sighed again over the romance he would never have. "yeah. she was nice. she loved my jokes and i cared about her."

"Did she like you back?" Dipper asked and for a rare moment, Sans looked stunned.

"i will never know." Sans said before continuing. "ya see, life got in the way and both of us had to move away. now i'll never know how she felt about me because i had two cold feet and no one push them into submission."

"Yeah... I guess." Dipper said, deep in thought. Then, he got up. "Thanks, Grunkle Sans."

"no prob." Sans nodded.

Dipper walked through the door to the shop.

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"RANDOM DANCE OFF!" Mabel yelled out as she started dancing in the middle of the shop.

Wendy got up from her seat. "Oh, you're on!"

Wendy started dancing, the two free styling in the middle of the shop. A tourist pulled out a camera.

"Awww. That's how you know they aren't workin' too hard." The tourist said as she videotaped the scene.

The duo saw this but they didn't care. They didn't look ridiculous. They looked awesome. Soon, tourists were voting with money on which dancer was better. Wendy and Mabel saw this as an opportunity and they continued to dance as more money came towards their way.

Sans at one point came in to ask something but after seeing the weirdness, he backed out of the room, slowly. Dipper watched the whole scene unfurl and couldn't help but smile.

"Dipper! Why don't you join us? You could get some cash." She said, slyly and as if to prove her point, more money went into her makeshift bet jar. "Thank you." She said to the tourist.

"N-no thanks. I'm fine." Dipper said nervously.

Wendy thought of that as weird but she shrugged it off. "Your loss. More money for us."

"Yeah!" Mabel said excitedly. Then, she hopped up on a crate that had been conveniently placed in the shop and danced some more. "Vote for Team Mabel if you're able!" She yelled.

People cheered as more people put money in her jar. She smiled and Wendy couldn't help but smile at this friendly competition. Wendy made up for the big disadvantage by dancing with people who voted for her. Of course, they weren't as good at dancing as she was but people like to think they're good and afterwards, they would give more money.

Sans came back inside the shop and, clearly accepting the dance contest in the room, started selling tickets at the door. That way, the only way to vote for the two competitors was to pay him.

Eventually, Wendy and Mabel tired. They checked their jars and decided on the outcome as they continued to dance a little more. It looked like Mabel had won half off the people while Wendy won the other and the true winner was Grunkle Sans, who won all of them.

"Attention!" Wendy yelled, the crowd dying down. "We've counted the tallies and the outcome is a tie. Unfortunately, that means no one wins so we're keeping the money. Goodbye."

Disappointed groans went through the crowd. They didn't care that their money was stolen from under their nose but that they lost. Wendy and Mabel gathered up their jars full of money.

"What are you going to use your money for?" Wendy asked Sans and Mabel.

"I'm putting half of my money into my college fund and then the other half into party decorations!" Mabel answered, excitedly.

"Cool." Wendy said lazily before turning to Sans. "What about you, Mr. Pines?"

"thats a trade secret. if ya wanna know, ya have to pay me 10000 dollars." Sans said with a sly grin as he stretched he hand out to collect the money.

Wendy smirked. "Not a chance. I'm not wasting money to find out your secret. I'm going to waste it on teenage things like magazines and to pay for damages. Of course, that's only if the police find out." She said, laughing as Mabel joined in.

Dipper looked at Wendy and Mabel talking. How was it easy for his sister to be able to speak with her like that? How could he get Wendy to think he's cool?

As if a message from heaven, a beep sounded from the parking lot. Wendy looked confused before looking down to her watch, still holding her jar.

"Wow. Time goes fast. I didn't even realize it was evening." Still holding her jar of money, she picked up her jacket and her magazine and opened the door out of the Shack.

"Bye Mr. Pines." She said.

"bye, wendy. see ya tomorrow." Sans said as he started counting his money.

"Bye you guys." She said to the Mystery Twins. "I'm hanging out with my friends."

"Bye Wendy! Nice dance-off!" Mabel said as she waved to Wendy.

But Dipper had a plan. He was going to get Wendy to think he was cool. There was only one way to do that...

"Wait. Wendy, can we go with you?" Dipper asked quickly before Wendy could leave.

Wendy looked to the duo in fascination as she thought about it. "I dunno. We mostly do teenage things. I don't know if you can handle it."

"Mabel and I are 13. Technically, a teen." Dipper did have a point but he didn't. Mabel looked at him in confusion.

"But Dipper, we're twe-" Mabel said before Dipper covered her mouth with his hand. He nervously laughed.

Wendy smirked. "Alright. You can come." Then she looked to Grunkle Sans. "Mr. Pines, is that okay?"

Uh-oh. If Grunkle Sans didn't allow them to go, then Dipper's plans would be ruined. Dipper was anxious. What would Sans say? Would he let them go with Wendy?

Dipper sighed in relief as Sans put a thumbs up with a knowing smirk at Dipper. Dipper could ponder the meaning behind that smirk later, although it did puzzle him. Right now, he had to focus on the plan.

"Sweet." Wendy said as she went out the door. "C'mon guys. Let's go."

"Dipper, why did you say we were 13?" Mabel asked, clearly confused by the whole matter.

"Because, Mabel, we are now able to hang out with the cool kids." Dipper said out loud. "And Wendy." He added. Unbeknownst to him, he had said that last part out loud and Mabel had heard it.

When Dipper realized, it was too late. Mabel was already screeching in admiration like a fan girl would if a ship had become canon.

"You DO have a crush on Wendy! I knew it! I knew it! I knew it!" Mabel yelled in excitement, her matchmaking senses tingling. "My bro-bro has a crush. I'm so proud of you, Dipper." Tears formed in her eyes like a mother would when she would see her son graduate.

Dipper blushed in embarrassment. Before he could think clearly, he put Mabel's hair over her face. Then, he looked over to Sans out of curiosity. Sans had clearly stopped counting money but he looked down at the money. He was stiff. Maybe he was shocked?

Dipper, flustered, followed Wendy and, when Mabel finally put her hair back behind her headband, followed shortly behind, getting the memo about mentioning this to Wendy.

Everyone that was in the blue van had already scattered into the surrounding area. Dipper and Mabel stood by Wendy.

"There you guys are! Meet the crew!" She then pointed out some people and named them.

She pointed to a boy with blond hair and pale skin. "That's Lee." Then, she pointed to a chubby boy with brown hair. "Thompson." Then, she pointed to a boy with darker skin and brown hair and a hat. "Nate." These three boys were hanging out together. Nate and Lee were cheering for Thompson to do something. With a yell, he took off his shirt and the boys laughed at him.

Then, she pointed to a girl with darker skin and brown hair with a pink streak in it. She was sitting against a tree, typing into her phone with a lazy expression. "Tambry."

Then, she pointed to a boy with pale skin and black hair. He had two pimples on his face and the black hair draped over his face which conveyed the message that he was emo. He wore a sweatshirt with the image of a heart that was broken but then stitched up. He slouched against the van. "And Robbie."

Then, the Twins saw a familiar face amongst the crowd of new ones. It was MK. She laughed as she ran towards Lee, Nate and Thompson. Unfortunately, she tripped and landed right on her face.

"You ok, MK?" Wendy yelled to her, clearly concerned.

MK pulled her face out of the dirt without using her hands and then got up on her legs. She made it look so easy that it was like she had done it before."Yup. Thanks!" MK replied as she continued the journey to laugh at Thompson.

"I didn't know Mikay was a teen!" Mabel responded in delight.

Wendy laughed. "Yup. She apparently is 13. I don't know if that is a lie but I don't care. She is fun to be around when we get in the groove."

"Well, I know that for sure!" Mabel said as she ran towards MK. "Hey, Mikay!"

MK turned to Mabel. "Yo, M'bel! I didn't know you were going to join this group." MK said in complete surprise.

"Yeah. I'm 13 which is technically a teen." Mabel said with confidence.

"No way! I'm 13 too!" MK said in amazement.

"What are the odds?!" Mabel said happily.

Meanwhile, Wendy put her jar of money in the van with Dipper. Dipper couldn't believe that he was really going to go on an awesome trip with Wendy. Right now, he was not regretting lying about his age.

"Alright, guys!" Wendy said when she put all of her things in the van. "Let's head out!"

Everybody came to the van and surrounded Wendy. Eventually, the group saw Dipper and Mabel.

"These guys are Dipper and Mabel." Wendy said as she pointed to the twins.

"Hello!" Mabel said with enthusiasm.

"These guys are coming with us." Wendy said as she looked at the faces of her group. Nobody seemed opposed as they welcomed the two newcomers warmly. Everyone except for Robbie.

Everyone entered the bus. Wendy was going to drive so, she took the front seat. Dipper moved to go into the other front seat but a certain older boy blocked his way.

"Whatcha doing, kid?" Robbie said in distaste for the boy.

"Well, I was going to go into the front seat and-" Dipper said before he was rudely cut off by Robbie.

"I'm sorry, but little kids aren't allowed to ride in the front seat." Robbie said, crossing his arms.

"Fine." Dipper said with a sigh. He wasn't going to fight an older teen for the seat. He had limits. Plus, he had other chances to be with Wendy alone.

Dipper, Mabel, and MK sat in the very back of the van while Lee, Nate, and Thompson sat in the captain seats which folded down so that people could get to the back. Dipper sat on left of the van and watched out of the window to his left. MK sat in the middle, talking excitedly to Mabel. Mabel sat on the right of the van talking to MK.

Mabel, at one time, glanced at the side of the van to her right and saw that scratched into the van was "You stink." Since that was mean, she scratched that out and put under it, "You look lovely today." This will blow someone's mind someday, Mabel thought.

"Where are we going?" Dipper asked when he realized that he didn't know where they were going.

"We're going to a mountain and we're gonna hike it." Lee replied confidently.

"And it looks like we're here." Wendy said as she turned off the van.

The whole gang got out of the van and looked up at the mountain. It was a relatively good sized mountain but not one you would climb up on a dare. Dipper wanted to know why they were climbing it if there were bigger mountains on the other side of Gravity Falls.

"Welcome to Mount Ebott." Wendy said in fascination.

MK looked shocked and nervous when she looked up. She looked desperate, like climbing up that mountain might kill her. She had to find an excuse for everyone to go away from this mountain. Then, Dipper gave her the ticket she needed.

"Why are we climbing this mountain? We could climb bigger mountains over there." Dipper said, pointing to the mountains on the other side of Gravity Falls.

"Because no one who has climbed it has ever lived to tell the tale." Nate said in a spooky voice before Lee punched him in the arm. The two laughed.

"8 children climbed this mountain. One by one, they climbed up the mountain in different time periods. Then, boom. They vanished. Only one came back and that was Frisk." Lee answered, as serious as he could.

"It's just a story. Bears have been seen there. Maybe they were killed by a bear or a mountain lion." Wendy answered, reassuring everyone though few needed it.

"We shouldn't go." MK said quietly but it stopped everybody in their tracks.

"C'mon, MK. You don't really believe that we'll vanish." Wendy said.

"Yeah. Yeah, I do. Frisk has been down there and I asked her about it and she said no one should go down there!" MK lied but no one could tell because she clearly was desperate.

"MK, you're not really chickening out on us, are you?" Wendy said with a hint of sadness.

"N-no! I'm just suggesting that we don't go!" MK said, getting defensive.

"Alright." Wendy said with a shrug. "Let's climb this mountain."

Robbie was beside Wendy and he whispered not so subtly, "Maybe you should stop bringing little kids."

Obviously, this attempt was a failure on Robbie's part because Wendy looked at him, frustrated and said, "Maybe you should stop playing guitar and wearing that sweater." Wendy then went up ahead of Robbie before he could even try to apologize. The group headed up the mountain.

MK was the last in line and she was the most nervous of the group. Eventually, it became too much for her and she realized that she could at least save two people. Plus, one person out of those two was the voice of reason and he was right in front of her.

"Hey Dipper." MK whispered. "Can we talk for a second?"

"Sure." Dipper said. "What's up?"

"You need to listen to me. This is dangerous. Only one person came back alive and Frisk doesn't like to tell the tale because it is so terrifying. We have to stop. We have to stop the others." MK said, desperation in her voice.

Dipper shook his head. "I'm sorry MK. It's an interesting story but a bear wouldn't come towards us with those three making noises." He said, pointing to Nate and Lee and Thompson. Nate and Lee were cheering for Thompson to lick a rock.

"I know but it's dangerous! I mean, what if it isn't a bear?" MK said, almost yelling it.

"Well, you can run back but I'm not." Dipper said as he turned back to face the trail.

MK was confused. She thought Dipper would believe her. The most she could do was give it one last try.

"Dipper, look at me in the eyes." MK said and Dipper turned around.

Dipper watched in astonishment as she pulled her hood down for the first time since he met her. Her hair was braided into two braids and it revealed more of her face. She had freckles that dotted her cheeks and when he looked into her blue eyes, he saw desperation, fear, panic, and nervousness.

"Please, Dipper. Let's go. You, me and Mabel. It's not safe. I don't know what I could do to persuade you." MK said.

Dipper thought for a bit. So far, the trail had seemed less than dangerous and there was no way bears could attack them with the noise. Dipper shook his head, much to MK's dismay.

"I'm sorry, MK. This is my chance to be with Wendy." He said before realizing his mistake and hoping MK didn't act like Mabel.

To his surprise, she wasn't jumping off the walls like Mabel was. MK pulled up her hood and it shadowed everything about her face except her eyes. She looked down at her feet.

"Alright. If Wendy means that much to you." MK said with a hint of failure, disappointment, and pain in her voice. Dipper felt a little sorry but continued his way up the mountain.

The group continued up the way. Soon enough, they were near the top. Dipper saw the line stop and when he reached it, a dark yawning cave was before the group.

"Thompson, I dare you to go into that cave and scout ahead." Wendy said, slyly knowing that the group would force him to do it.

"N-no. I really shouldn't." Thompson protested but before he knew it, Lee, Nate, Robbie, Wendy, and Tambry were chanting.

"Do it! Do it! Do it!" They chanted and Thompson tried to resist the power the group had.

"Ah! The Peer Pressure!" He said as he gave in. He went into the cave and everyone else high-fived.

"How long until he gets scared?" Nate said to Lee.

"Probably in 3... 2... 1..." Lee counted down.

"It's a dead end, guys." Thompson's voice echoed from the cave and Nate and Lee moaned from their failure.

"Maybe we could rest in here for a while!" Mabel said, enthusiastically.

"I have to agree with Mabel on this one." Wendy said, wiping the sweat off her brow from the hike. "I need a rest."

Everyone agreed and everyone entered the cave, talking and laughing. The only person not enjoying themselves was MK, who still hid her face under her poncho in despair.

Tambry sat in the corner of the cave and texted on her phone which surprisingly had cell phone reception. Nate and Lee immediately pressured Thompson to take his shirt off. When he did, Tambry took a picture and sent it to everyone she knew, much to Thompson's dismay. Mabel wrote on the wall with chalk that she always had with her. Wendy sat next to the wall.

This was Dipper's chance and he took it. He sat next to Wendy and Wendy gave him a friendly smile.

"So, how you liking my friends?" Wendy said with a smile.

"Oh. They're awesome. I mean, they literally are the cool kids." Dipper said, scratching the back of his head.

Wendy arched an eyebrow. "Really? I always thought of us as teens that do stupid things together."

Dipper laughed nervously. "Heh... yeah. I guess you could say that."

Wendy laughed. "Yeah. Everyone is having fun, though. The boys are bonding," She motioned towards Nate, Lee, and Robbie who were forcing Thompson to try and make a fire with two stones, a trick that wasn't happening at all. "I've never seen Tambry type that fast in my life," She motioned to Tambry who was updating her status. "And I'm doing fine. You chose a good time to join us."

Dipper blushed. Everything was going great. He was having a normal conversation with Wendy. Maybe, if he got really good at that, he could have a deep conversation with Wendy and then maybe a romantic conversation with Wendy. Then, his dreams dashed as a certain emo boy stopped what he was doing and came up to Wendy and sat at the other side of her.

"Hey, Wendy." Robbie said, looking down at the floor.

"Hey Robbie! What's up?" Wendy asked with a smile.

"I was wondering if you wanted to, you know, come to my band's performance tomorrow?" Robbie said and immediately, things clicked in Dipper's mind.

This was his competition. It was clear to Dipper that Robbie liked her in the same way Dipper liked her. He should've known something like this would happen.

"Sure, Robbie." Wendy said, lazily.

Robbie turned to Dipper and gave him a disgusted and condescending stare. "Who's this kid?"

"Oh. You mean Dipper? He's a friend of mine. He's technically a teen so, I thought he could join the team." Wendy said, blissfully unaware of the silent competition the two boys had against each other.

Robbie turned to Dipper. "Hey. I'm Robbie. I spray painted the explosion on the water tower. It's no big deal other than everyone can see it."

Dipper smirked and tried to hold back from laughing. Unfortunately, Robbie saw and looked at him aggressively.

"What's so funny?" Robbie asked, defensively.

"You mean the giant muffin on the water tower?! You painted that?!" Dipper said, accidentally saying it so loud that everyone could hear it.

Nate and Lee looked at each other in confusion. To answer the confusion, Tambry pulled up a picture of the water tower. The three boys and Mabel looked at it and everyone laughed.

"It DOES look like a giant muffin!" Nate exclaimed, laughing so hard.

Robbie was clearly embarrassed and he gave Dipper the dirtiest of all dirty looks. It looked like Dipper had made a new enemy.

"Anyway," Robbie said, trying to pull a Sans and try to shake off the embarrassment. "Looks like one of the little kids you brought along is scared." He pointed to MK.

MK was actually quite pathetic looking. She was sitting on the floor, her poncho covering her up. Occasionally, she would look up and look around the cave with a look of nervousness. Dipper saw something different in this nervousness. It wasn't the nervousness that someone would have if they were scared. It was the one someone would have if someone was about to find out their secret. Unfortunately, not many could tell the difference and Robbie was no exception. So, he acted accordingly.

"Awww... Do you need a blanky?" Robbie said, condescendingly as he approached MK.

MK looked at Robbie in frustration. "Stop it, Robbie." She said quietly.

"Hey. Quit bothering her, Robbie." Wendy said, a look of disappointment and anger crossing her face.

"What? She needs to toughen up if she wants to hang out with us." Robbie said, defensively before turning back to MK. "Do you need us to babysit you?" Robbie said, a smirk forming on his face.

"Back off." MK said, her words becoming more like a growl as her face twisted into a look of frustration and hatred.

"Robbie. Stop." Wendy said, her face getting more frustrated and defensive but Robbie wouldn't listen. He was like a shark, cold and distant and in for a kill.

"Maybe we could get a nightlight."

"Please...stop..."

"Maybe a stuffed monster, while we're at it."

"Just... please...stop-"

"Or maybe you could just run back to your mother. Oh wait. You don't have-"

"SHUT UP!"

Everyone in the cave went dead silent. Mabel and Dipper looked at their friend. MK was standing up and staring down Robbie, her face twisted into a look of frustration and hatred. Tears had formed in her eyes. It wasn't because she was scared or sad. It was because of the pure anguish of the situation.

Robbie looked at her in disbelief that the young girl had it in her. Then, his expression went to anger too.

"What did you just say to me, KID?" He said in a daring tone of voice, hoping to make her fear him. Instead, it had the opposite effect.

"That's right! Nobody else would say it, so the youngest Kid had to say it!" MK didn't back down. She wasn't afraid of older kids and she was going to put Robbie in his place. "I've been meaning to tell you some other things too! You're a JERK! A liar! A cheat! And most of all, you're a boy who wears makeup and earrings!"

Robbie grew angry too at the last statements. "Oh yeah?! Well, what are you going to do about it?! Are you going to punch me?!" Robbie dared her.

"NO! MY HANDS ARE TOO GOOD TO TOUCH YOUR STUPID FACE, MUCH LESS PUNCH YOU!" MK yelled, getting louder than even Robbie. With this yell, her hood fell off and her hair made it look like her hair was on fire.

"THEN WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO?!" Robbie yelled, trying to get even against her.

"THIS!"

The last word was more of a battle cry as she ran towards Robbie. At the last minute, she lowered her head and headbut him in the stomach, knocking him to the ground many feet away.

Everyone gasped. Dipper's mouth was left wide open. He didn't know MK had that power in her head buts. MK stood there, shaking and gasping for breath. Wendy ran to Robbie's side to check if he was okay. Dipper could see her face and tears were freely streaming down MK's face but she didn't seem to notice as she tried to look strong and intimidating. Dipper decided to ACT.

He ran to MK and put a hand on her shoulder.

"MK, are you oka-" Dipper was interrupted as MK turned abruptly around.

"No, Dipper! I am NOT okay!" Her angry expression turned to everyone in the group, including Dipper and Mabel. The tears made her somehow look more threatening than weak.

"I am done not being taken seriously!" MK said, closing her eyes in pain before opening them to show sadness overwhelming them. "Even my friends don't take me seriously." It felt like a blow to their bodies for Mabel and Dipper but it was true. Mabel didn't take anything seriously and Dipper didn't listen to MK earlier that evening on the path.

Mabel ran up to MK to try and talk to her. "Mikay, I will take you seriously! I promise! Please! Just-" Mabel said but MK wasn't having it. She turned away from Mabel and took off Mabel's hand forcefully.

MK's expression changed to a look of sadness, anger, and a attempt to look dignified. "If you guys aren't going to take me seriously, then you guys aren't my friends!" She yelled as she started towards the exit of the cave. "I don't need friends. All I need is Undyne." She said as she ran down the path.

Everyone was in shock and almost everyone felt guilty. Wendy helped Robbie and checked a big bruise on his belly.

"Are you okay?" Wendy said, worriedly.

"Yeah. I just didn't she would hurt me that much with her head." Robbie said before Wendy pulled his ear, hurting Robbie.

"Why did you do that to MK?! She didn't deserve it. I think you deserve that bruise." Wendy said, angrily.

"Why did you invite her along anyway?" Robbie said, distracting Wendy.

"She acts a lot like me when I was younger. I like her." Wendy said, still mad at Robbie.

Everyone sat in awkward silence. It had seemed that even Thompson couldn't make the gang laugh right now. After a while, the laughter eventually came back but not everybody was laughing. Mabel had retreated to sweater town because MK was her friend and the thought of unintentionally hurting her made her sob.

"Hey Dipper!" Wendy said, standing up. "I dare you to run to the other end of the cave!" Wendy said, motioning to a dark area.

"Why?" Dipper asked in avid curiosity.

"Just for fun, dude. I want to see how you do!" Wendy said with a laugh.

Dipper shrugged. "Looks easy to me." He said as he began to run towards it.

This dare was easy. When he got back, Wendy would be so impressed. Maybe he would finally get her attention. Maybe she would like him back. Then, everything would be perfect...

Unfortunately, Dipper didn't watch where he was going. He tripped on a vine and as he fell, a yawning hole in the floor appeared right in front of him.

"AAAHHHHHHH!" He yelled as he started to fall through the hole.

He thought to himself his final wishes and he could've sworn he whispered through his mouth that he loved Wendy. In fact, before he hit the floor, he could've sworn he saw Wendy, looking at him in fear and yelling his name.

That's when he hit the floor.

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Dipper was in the dark room of his subconscious. Above him was a light that shined down on him. He looked around. Oh no. He must of been knocked out. Now he's in a type of dream state. Nothing was there. That is until a voice broke the silence.

"Curious." The voice of a girl echoed through the room and Dipper looked for its source. "Another fallen child? Where did you come from, Ninth Fallen?"

"That's none of your business! Who are you? Show yourself." Dipper said into the darkness.

"Oooo. A feisty one. A smart one too." The voice said, sounding amused.

"How do you know that?" Dipper asked nervously.

"You know that a voice in your head is not normal!" The voice said matter-of-factly before laughing a friendly laugh.

"Who are you?" Dipper restated, a little less threatening since the entity didn't sound threatening.

"Oh. Where are my manners?" The voice said, still echoing.

"I'm over here." The room all of a sudden became less echoey and Dipper turned to find the exact place the voice was coming from.

A girl stood in front of him, surrounded in light as if a spotlight was on both of them in a play. She had brown hair that went down to her shoulders and her cheeks had pink circles that made her look cuter. She wore a sweater that was green with yellow stripes and black pants. Around her neck was a heart necklace. What was kind of unnerving was that her eyes were a shade of brownish red. Still, she smiled a friendly smile at Dipper as he walked to her.

"I am the First Fallen." She looked at him. "What's your name, Ninth Fallen?"

"My name is Dipper. Dipper Pines." He put out a hand to shake hers.

She graciously accepted. She shook hard and long before stopping.

"How lucky am I to meet a Pine Tree!" She said with a teasing smile. "You know, I should've known you are related to Sans."

"You've met Sans?" Dipper asked.

"Met is a weak word. I KNOW Sans." She said, slyly. It might've been his imagination but it sounded like she hostile towards Sans.

"So, why do you call me the Ninth Fallen anyway?" Dipper asked, trying to understand.

"Because you're the ninth child to fall down here. You must have heard that eight children have fallen down here before you?" She said in a bit of disbelief.

"Oh... Right... So, what happened to you?" Dipper asked, a little frightened to know the answer.

Her smile vanished a little. "I uh... died."

"You died! Did you die from the fall?!" Dipper said, a little freaked out.

"Calm down. I died from a stupid idea. I ate a buttercup for food and died. The other kids died too, except for the Eighth Fallen." She said, trying to calm him down.

"Did the other kids die from the fall?" Dipper said, a little calmer.

"Of course not. And for your information, you won't die. You'll just have a bit of a minor concussion. I should know!" She smiled a bit.

"So, what did they die from?" Dipper asked, trying to calm himself down.

"They died from Monsters." She said, solemnly.

"Oh. Well, I've survived Stonewolves and Owlbears so I think I'll be fine." Dipper said, calmly.

"No no no no! I mean Monsters! As in the species." She clarified.

"What do you mean?" Dipper said, confused.

"The creatures that you just mention are just that. Creatures. Monsters are different." She said. "They are usually humanoid and they have magical powers that could kill a human like that." She concluded with a snap of her fingers.

"So, am I going to encounter any down here?" Dipper asked, assuming the answer. The answer surprised him.

"No. They left. They were trapped here but then they escaped to the Surface." She said, looking into Dipper's eyes. "They were so dangerous that the humans banished them here but they escaped and changed their appearances to look human. For all you know, they could be your friends or family but they are still dangerous, all the while." She looked terrified.

"Maybe Robbie's a monster." Dipper said out loud, bitterly.

"I wouldn't put it past them to act like jerks." She nodded. "But, I have a deal. If you want to, we can help each other. We can be partners." The words echoed in Dipper's mind.

"You can ask me to do anything and in turn, you do what I want." She said, smiling.

Something felt wrong to Dipper. Something was off. She seemed nice but at sometimes, it seemed faked. Also, she seemed to hate Sans. Still, he wasn't quite ready to completely dismiss the offer or accept it. He needed to think.

"I understand if you need to think on it." She said, reading Dipper's mind. "I can wait. When you wake up, you might see me around but nobody else will see me. I'm just telling you so that you don't embarrass yourself."

Dipper nodded. She then started to walk away. "See you around, Dipper Pines, the Ninth Fallen." Then, everything went dark.

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Dipper woke up with a start. He sat up quickly and hugged his knees. He rubbed his head which hurt before he looked around. All around him were golden flowers. They were soft and comfy and judging from the fall, they had cushioned his fall a bit.

"DIPPER!" Wendy's voice echoed from above. "ARE YOU OKAY?!"

Dipper looked up to see Wendy. "YEAH! I'M FINE!" He surveyed the surroundings and saw no way to go back up. "I'M JUST A LITTLE STUCK DOWN HERE!"

"WE'RE GOING BACK IN TOWN TO GET A ROPE! MABEL'S GOING TO STAY IN THE CAVE IN CASE YOU FIND ANOTHER WAY! SEE YOU SOON!" Wendy yelled before her face vanished from sight.

Dipper nodded to himself before he remembered his dream. Maybe it was just that. A dream. A feverish dream conjured from his concussion. Maybe it wasn't even a concussion. Maybe that girl was another side of his personality. The list went on and on about how to explain it.

"Wow. Rude." A familiar voice said and Dipper spun around to see the girl, a smile on her face. "Immediately you dismiss me as a dream. Then again, I probably would've done the same."

She was transparent like a ghost and yet her features were still visible. She smiled as she came closer. Maybe he hit his head harder than he thought. Hallucinations had to be a symptom. He held his head in his hands. He had to make the hallucination go away.

The girl laughed. "I would've done that too, Dipper Pines!" She said as she held out her hand for Dipper.

Dipper hesitated before taking it. He was shocked to feel her help him up on his feet.

"How were you able to do that? You're a ghost. Your hand should've fazed through mine." Dipper said, keeping his voice down in case Mabel would hear.

"I technically helped you but not by pulling you up. Since I am able to control you to a certain extent, the fact you took my hand made me able to help your legs get stronger and help you stand up." She stopped to see Dipper look dumbfounded. She sighed. "It made it look like I did pull you up but I didn't. It's complicated.

"So, I'm the only one that can see you." Dipper clarified.

"Yes." She replied with a nod.

"You read my mind earlier. How were you able to do that?" Dipper asked, a little bit creeped out at the idea that someone other than him could read his thoughts.

"I'm technically connected to you now. It's sort of like a spirit animal but for ghosts. Anyways, I'm able to read your mind partially. Don't worry. I won't read it all the time." She said, seeing the worry cross Dipper's face.

"Alright." Dipper muttered as he looked around him. It was a square cave area and in front of him was a dark pathway.

"Dipper of the Ninth Fallen, welcome to the Underground." The girls said in a solemn voice.

"How do I get out of here and get back to my sister and my friends?" Dipper said, panicked.

"Dude, don't panic." She said, a little bit annoyed.

"Don't panic?! I've fallen down and I don't know where I am. I don't know how to get out of here or whether any of these monsters you were telling me about are still here. How am I supposed to be calm?" Dipper relayed, annoyed with his situation.

"You should be calm because I know my way around here inside and out and no monster would WANT to be here so it should be a simple trip to get back to your friends." She said as she crossed her arms to look cooler.

Dipper felt stupid. Of course this ghost girl would know where the exit is. She could travel anywhere.

"Anywhere except out of the Underground." She answered, clearly having read his mind. "At least not until you came along."

"You need to give me more time with this 'mind reading' thing." Dipper said, shocked.

"Fine. Sorry." She muttered. "You might want to tell Mabel that you're going down a passage and that you'll get there in about twenty to thirty minutes."

"Okay." Dipper said before yelling up towards the hole. "MABEL?!"

Mabel's head appeared through the hole. "WHAT'S UP, BRO-BRO?! WHAT DO YOU NEED?!"

"I DON'T NEED ANYTHING! I JUST WANTED TO TELL YOU THAT I'M GOING TO FIND ANOTHER WAY BACK AND THAT IT MIGHT TAKE ME 20 TO 30 MINUTES TO BE BACK!" Dipper yelled up.

"ALRIGHT! BE SAFE, DIPPER!" She yelled.

"I WILL!" Dipper responded before Mabel's head disappeared.

"Alright. Where are we going?" Dipper said as he turned to the girl.

"This way. Follow me." She said as she pointed down the hallway.

The two walked in silence, the ghostly girl leading the way and Dipper by her side. Then, Dipper decided to break the silence.

"I know you are the First Fallen but what's your actual name?" Dipper asked in curiosity.

"Chara." She said with no further explanation.

"So, Chara, why are you helping me?" Dipper asked, finally answering the question why he felt uneasy around her.

"I used to have a family like yours. My brother and I were close. We were the same age but I was adopted. Still, I loved all the more. Then, he died. Died because I died." Chara said, holding back some of the raw emotion.

"He died from grief." Dipper concluded. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. I will see him soon once I get out of here and you're my ticket out." Chara said, sounding DETERMINED.

Dipper smiled. At least he was helping someone. Then, he finally looked up at his surroundings.

A closed door was before him. It had two symbols. One was of a circle with wings above three triangles. The other was odd. It had a triangle with eyes and arms and legs and a pink heart. Surrounding them was a circle with symbols inside of it.

Dipper had seen this before in a cave when he was searching for the staff of unspeakable power. Now, he was able to see the symbols.

There were many symbols. There was a pine tree, a shooting star, a pentagram, a broken heart, broken glasses, a bag of ice, a question mark, a llama, a red scarf, a golden flower, a red heart, a knife, a paintbrush surrounded by a star, a golden apple surrounded by a star, and a star. What stuck out to Dipper was a hand with a hole in the center.

He pulled out his Journal and looked at the cover and compared it to the crude symbol. A match. Chara nodded in agreement.

"What's this?" Dipper asked, pointing to the circle and triangles above the other major symbol.

"That's the Delta Rune." Chara answered before changing the subject. "Anyway, to pass through this door, you have to solve the puzzle over to the right."

Indeed, to the right were some buttons in the floor and a path that intercepted some of them.

"You need to step on the ones that aren't on the path." Chara said, leaving Dipper to the task.

Dipper shrugged as he followed Chara's instructions. As soon as he did, the door opened. Chara immediately started leading the way again. They passed through corridor after corridor and solved puzzle after puzzle. It was rather obvious that a race had lived down here at some point. Chara's story had been proven true, thus far.

It became even more obvious when a balcony showed the city below. He walked onto the balcony and looked down at the sight, his mouth wide open.

"Amazing, isn't it, Partner?" She said, clearly unfazed by the view. "Monsters abandoned this place before they even left the Underground. They call it the Ruins."

"I can see why. The amount of monsters here probably needed some space to spread out." Dipper said, still staring.

"How observant. Yes. They spread out farther into the cavern and left this place to rot." Chara looked up at the sky or rather lack of sky. "We would probably start to rot too if we don't get a move on."

"Right." Dipper replied, regaining focus before following Chara through the Ruins.

They continued their way before they entered a courtyard with a giant tree marking the entrance to a small cottage. Chara didn't hesitate to enter the small cottage and Dipper followed, despite his curiosity.

"This way. Down these stairs." Chara said, motioning to a set of stairs that led downwards.

The two walked down the stairs and down a hallway until they reached a small archway where once again, a door blocked their path. Chara stopped and turned to him.

"Get ready for cold, snow, and wind, Partner." She said before the door opened automatically for Dipper, revealing a winter wonderland. "Welcome to Snowdin."

Dipper shivered. "How is there snow down here?"

"The monsters found snow down here during a winter season. They decided to preserve the Christmas spirit forever by putting ice cubes in the river. It snows during winter but it never melts. Of course, since the monsters aren't here, the snow is starting to melt." She said, motioning to a tiny stream that crossed the path and revealed where the snow had started melting.

"These monsters don't sound so bad." Dipper said, passively challenging Chara's past statement.

"Well, the pure and innocent don't always stay." Chara announced. "The brightest stars burn out the quickest just like innocence and purity dissolve the soonest. Monsters were the ones who kept the snow just to keep the Christmas season, yes, but they were also the ones who killed six children before you."

"When you put it like that, they sound bad." Dipper said with a bit of uncertainty.

"Nobody is truly bad but no one is truly good. I only know one thing that is always bad and that is FEAR." Chara said, answering Dipper's question before he could even ask it.

The two crunched through the melting snow in silence. Dipper couldn't help but wonder how long the monsters had lived down here. They clearly had lived down here for a while but how long? How many generations were they trapped here?

His train of thought was lost when Chara turned onto a different path towards the river. On the bank was a boat. The only problem was that there was a hooded person on the boat.

"A monster?" Dipper whispered to Chara.

"No. This is the river person. They won't harm us. Think of them as the boats man for the river Styx." Chara whispered back.

"...Yeah. Because that makes me feel better about riding with someone who could bring me to the land of the dead." Dipper whispered sarcastically.

"Tralalalala. Oh? Is there someone there?" The boats person said in a sing songy voice. It was weird how their voice sounded neither male or female. It just sounded like a whisper.

"She can't hear me. Tell them that you wish to go to Hotland." Chara said to Dipper.

Dipper cleared his throat. "Hi. I'm Dipper and I wish to go to Hotland." He said, nervously.

"Come onto my boat." The River person said as Dipper and Chara obeyed.

Once they boarded, the boat strangely turned into a dog and ran on the water. Dipper looked to Chara in confusion but all she did was wink and put a finger to her smiling mouth.

"Tra la la la la.

Beware the man who speaks in hands

For he might come back agains.

Tra la la la la." The River person said, causing a confused look to appear on both Chara and Dipper's face.

"Whet does that mean?" Dipper asked, before noticing Chara trying to shush him with a look of horror in her eyes.

The River person went stiff. She was deathly still. Dipper looked to Chara but all Chara did was watch the hooded figure in both horror and curiosity.

"Dark, Darker, Yet Darker." The Riverperson said. "Dark, Darker, Yet Darker."

The Riverperson repeated the phrase, over and over and over again until they reached their stop and the dog disappeared into the river. Chara and Dipper left the boat.

Dipper wiped his brow. It was HOT. It was a rough transition from ice cold to blistering hot. To add to it, there was lava all around him. That was a mystery itself. Gravity Falls wasn't next to a volcanic hotspot. How could they have lava here? They weren't even close to the mantle!

Still, he had to focus on the task at hand. He had to get back to the Surface. Chara continued to lead as she went through the doors of a white state-of-the-art building. It was a nice change in temperature compared to the literal melting pot outside. Around him was a laboratory. It was completely covered in blueprints and machine parts which were scattered all over the floor. Dipper wasn't fazed by this since the Monsters seemed to evacuate the area but Chara was dumbfounded.

"No one was supposed to be here. Last time I was here, it was clean." Chara said in a state of confusion.

"You mean it wasn't like this when the monsters escaped?" Dipper asked.

"Yeah! There was no papers on the floor or this big of a mess. Who could've been here?" Chara asked.

"Maybe they haven't left." Dipper whispered.

As if on cue, a sound of a can falling sounded. Chara shuttered.

"Alright. Get into this elevator." She said, pointing yo an elevator on the left wall. He waited for the elevator to come down and when it did, Chara showed him which button to push. The up button.

They went up in silence. At this point, Dipper couldn't wait to see anyone or anything familiar. Mabel, Soos, Wendy, Sans... MK. Oh gosh. He forgot about MK! He had to apologize to her. After all, they were the youngest of the gang after all.

When the elevator reached its stop, Chara and Dipper speed walked down the hallways and corridors. They went through a house and reached a hallway full of windows that showed the Delta Rune. Chara seemed to shutter in this hall but continued going. So close to freedom yet so far.

They went through a garden where two thrones were positioned, one under a blanket and the other out in the open. This must be where a king lived. Maybe the king of monsters, Dipper theorized.

They went through another archway and when Dipper opened it, he almost couldn't believe it.

Sky. He saw the sky of the Surface. Dipper was so happy that he started to laugh hysterically. Chara smiled a friendly smile and Dipper hugged her in success. Afterwards, Chara started to disappear.

"I guess that's as much as this physical form can muster. Probably going to take a while before I can use it again." She said silently as she watched her hand get more transparent than before. Then, she turned to Dipper. "Thank you for helping me, Dipper Pines. You make a great Partner. Until this form rejuvenates, I will reside in your mind. Don't worry! I won't read anything. If you need anything, just call me. I will help. Until we meet again."

Chara disappeared right as a yell came from behind Dipper. Mabel and Wendy were behind him and yelled his name with relief and gratitude. Mabel ran and hugged her brother and Wendy messed up his hair in a playful way.

"I told the rest of the gang to go home. Meanwhile, the three of us went searching for you." Wendy said, still relieved to have found Dipper.

"Three of you? But there's only you and Mabel." Dipper said, confused.

Luckily, his confusion didn't last long as a certain orange-haired blue-eyed poncho-wearing girl came up the rest of the mountain and, upon seeing Dipper, shouted at him

"DIPPER!" MK shouted as she came up and gave him a friendly hug. When they pulled away she looked down at her feet.

"Yeah. Uh... Yo. Sorry for the show earlier. I just don't like it when I'm being made fun of for believing an urban legend." MK said as she blushed in embarrassment.

"No. It's fine. You were brave against Robbie. I'm sorry if I made you feel like I didn't take you seriously." Dipper said, looking down at his feet. "It was crazy what I saw down there. There was a city and snow and lava..."

"Really? Tell us the whole thing." Wendy asked.

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Dipper smiled to himself as he got ready for bed. He had told the group everything. Everything, that is, except for Chara. Wendy had called him brave that evening which made Dipper blush for a long time. Dipper and Mabel went home and told Sans everything and though he looked worried, he congratulated him and gave a Sans hug to the Twins.

Dipper took off his hat before going into his bed. He looked at it before his expression changed to a frown of confusion. On his hat was a seed. He took it off and examined it further. It was rather small and from the looks of it, it was easy for it to stay on the fabric of the hat. It must of come from those golden flowers he fell in, Dipper concluded before opening the window and throwing the seed out.

If only all things dangerous and malevolent were that easy to get rid of.

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 **TEL FP YRYYIV XKA KXFSB XKA ZXK KBSBO YB PBOFLRP?**

X PELLQFKD PQXO


	5. A Pine Tree and Oka

**A/N Yo guys! I'm back and we are going to introduce a new character! Yay! So, get ready to meet the person who replaced Gideon. She belongs to a certain game developer. She belongs to VXKABOBABS.**

 **Secondly, it's my Birthday so I thought I would give a present to my followers by giving a chapter to them!**

 **Also, a friendly reviewer helped me out on some of the details of this since this the first time we have an UNDERTALE-esque fight and I needed help making Mabel and Dipper's stats. His name is alextisgr8.**

 _ **Alex: Hello everyone! I recently told our friendly neighborhood Author here that I was willing to help, and it seems that I'm being taken up on that offer! So expect more of me later! If you want to work on a story with me or just talk, feel free to leave me a PM! Bye everyone**_

 **Anyways, let's go!**

Dipper sat on his bed as he looked over the notes he had written and the sketches he had drawn. Then, he looked down at a page in his Journal and compared it to the sketch in his hand. The sketch was of the craving he had seen on the door in the Underground underneath the Delta Rune. He had drawn it from memory with a little help from his new companion. In the Journal, he had found near the beginning of the book a drawing that looked very much like the sketch. In fact, they were identical.

The Author wrote everything in the Journal for a reason. What was the reason of drawing a strange carving of a triangle and heart surrounded by symbols in a circle? What could it mean? Was it a prophecy? A ward against the supernatural? A cult? Dipper sighed in exasperation.

"Still trying to figure out what it means?" A voice said, right next to Dipper. Dipper made a startled noise as he turned towards his ghostly companion. Chara smiled a bit.

"Stop scaring me like that!" Dipper said, half embarrassed and half frustrated.

Chara giggled. "I forgot how easy it was to startle you." She said before she looked down at the many notes and sketches on the bed where the duo sat. "Have you made any headway?"

"You can read my mind. What do you think?" Dipper said, frustrated.

"I respect people's privacy. I have respected your's after we made it back here." Chara said as a look of offense flashed across her face. She crossed her arms before looking away from Dipper. "I'm not a barbarian."

Dipper sighed. "Sorry. I just... want to know." Dipper picked up his Journal and flipped through the pages. "I want to know who the Author is, where they are, what happened to them, why they made this Journal, and why I should trust no one and that's just the mysteries about my journal!"

Chara looked at Dipper in curiosity as he continued. "I don't even know that much about my Grunkle! He has so many secrets that I could make a journal about him. Why does he lock his room, what's in that room that has the caution tape, what's with the fourth chair, why does he hide what he knows, how is he so fast when he's lazy? I mean, c'mon. Remember that one time we were playing tag?!"

Chara nodded, solemnly. The story was that Mabel and Dipper were playing tag. Mabel tagged Grunkle Sans and the two ran. Sans was on the couch at the time and the Twins had run outside as to escape their Grunkle's grasp. They split up and Dipper went next to the forest and wiped his sweat off his brow when he felt a hand tap him on the back. It was Sans and not only did Dipper nearly have a heart attack but he was also the tagger. Sans didn't even run away. He just dodged in an almost agile manner. That, even of itself, was a mystery.

"Also, I know he drinks ketchup behind our backs. I mean, dude! There are worse addictions to have but that is still gross." Dipper shuttered from thinking about drinking ketchup.

"You know, if we make a deal, I can help you figure out these secrets about Sans." Chara said, a serious look appearing on her face.

"I don't know. Maybe eventually, he will tell me." Dipper said, hopeful before looking down at the sketches.

"But a sketch and a drawing can't tell you their secrets. Maybe I could help you with that too." Chara said, eagerly.

Dipper sighed. "No thanks. Maybe later. I haven't tried the library yet. Maybe I could find some information."

A flash of frustration and shock came across Chara's face but it disappeared as she shrugged it off. "Oh well. You know what to do when you need me." She said in a casual, dismissive voice as she disappeared from view.

Dipper sighed again before his head perked up as a yell came from downstairs. "hey kid. you want to come down for lunch? it's grilled cheese." Sans said as Mabel yelled too. "YAY! GRUNKLE SANS GRILLED CHEESE!"

Dipper got up as he ran to the door. "Coming." He said. Unbeknownst to him that one of the papers fell of his bed and onto the floor. It was a close up sketch of one of the symbols surrounding the triangle and heart.

It was a pentagram.

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"So, what happens if I eat Dipper's grilled cheese?" Mabel asked, jokingly at the table while Sans cooked the last grilled cheese with ketchup in it.

"well, what do you call a grilled cheese that doesn't belong to ya?" Grunkle Sans said in his lazy manner.

"I don't know. What is it called?" Mabel asked enthusiastically as she ate her grilled cheese.

"it's NACHO cheese." Sans said with a snort as Mabel giggled. He shrugged. "what? am i PROVOLONE on this one?"

The two laughed as Dipper sauntered down the stairs and took a seat at the table.

"Hey Dipper! What instrument section does a cheese play in?" Mabel said with an infectious smile.

"I dunno. What?" Dipper said with a somewhat bored and sad tone of voice that Mabel ignored.

"They play the STRING instruments! Get it?! String cheese?! I'm hilarious!" Mabel yelled as she laughed and fell to the table.

"what's wrong, dipper?" Sans said in a lazy tone of voice. Still, to Dipper, it sounded like he was probing for something.

 _Don't let him know anything about you or the book._ A thought that was not his own echoed, coming from his unseen companion.

"Well, I saw this symbol in the Underground and I can't stop thinking about it." Dipper half-admitted, following his companion's wish.

"Ugh... Here he goes about his nerd talk." Mabel groaned as she put her chin on the table. "Can't you try to do something else in your spare time, like making friends?"

"Mabel! This could be important! It was a triangle and a pink heart and they were surrounded by many symbols. Maybe it's a prophecy or a past event or something else entirely but it seemed important." Dipper said as he thought.

"i dunno if it's any of that, kid. it could just be some jerk's idea of a joke to plagiarize that place." Sans said with a shrug, although his tone of voice was quite serious. He sat at the table with his grilled cheese in hand.

"But it's a mystery!" Dipper said, getting agitated. "What if it's an important warning!"

"i didn't say i was denyin' ya, kid. i'm just sayin that that's a possibility." Sans said, trying to clarify what he meant. "for all we know, it could be how to summon a demon. trust me, kid. some secrets are better left under wraps."

"And what about you?! You have tons of secrets but whenever I ask you about them, you never share them! Is that the reason why?! Because it's best kept under wraps?!" Dipper yelled, startling Sans.

Sans gave a look of sheer surprise with a little bit of curiosity and suspicion intermingled. Dipper realized he had hit a soft spot in his Grunkle's armor. He also realized that he had never snapped at Sans like this before. Dipper's look was one of regret and confusion. Dipper wanted to look away from Sans but he continued to look in curiosity as to what his Grunkle would do.

Sans's brow furrowed. It wasn't in anger but merely in concentration. His eyes moved as though he was calculating a problem in his head. Then, he looked directly at Dipper with a stern look. It wasn't threatening or full of anger but, rather, questioning. Then, Sans spoke.

"Okay, kid. What's really wrong with ya?" He asked in a more serious tone of voice.

"Grunkle Sans, I'm sure Dipper didn't mean to yell at you!" Mabel said, trying to be the peace maker between this dispute.

Sans turned to her and his look turned to one of understanding. "i know, kiddo. i just need to know what's wrong. i know when things aren't right." Sans turned to Dipper. "You haven't been the same since you fell into the Underground."

"Grunkle Sans, trust me. It's not a concussion." Dipper said in a sad tone of voice.

"I know, Dipper. It's just that there are worse things to get when you fall down, especially in the Underground." Sans said, cryptically. "I can help ya but I can't if ya won't tell me what's wrong."

"Nothing's wrong, Grunkle Sans." Dipper said in a final statement.

Sans gave a stare of confusion. Then, he closed his eyes and shrugged as the tension died down. "alright. you don't have to tell me."

Dipper got up. "Anyways, I have to go to the library for some information."

"Ugh. Nerd things. I'm thinking of hanging out with Mikay for the day!" Mabel shouted before she got up and ran for the door. "Bye Grunkle Sans!"

"Bye." Dipper said as he went through the door as well until Sans was all alone with his thoughts.

"I guess I can't force him to tell me." Sans mused to himself, a worried expression crossing his face. "But for all I know, a yellow flower might be chatting with him..."

Sans's face turned into a nonchalant smile. "I guess I have to have a little chat with that miserable weed. After all," Sans said, his mind already thinking of ways to do that.

" **I DON'T A WEED IN MY GARDEN.** "

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Dipper was walking through the center of town, his nose in his Journal until he lifted his head to look for a library. He walked to where he had been told the library was until he reached the building. He looked up to see the sign and a look of confusion crossed his face.

"Librabry?" He said as he read the sign out loud as a woman with blonde hair opened the door for him.

"Yes. I know." The woman said. "It's spelt wrong. Anyways, come on in, pursuer of knowledge!"

Dipper went through the door that the woman had opened for him. She followed shortly after him as he gasped at the sight. The library was actually pretty big for a small town. The bookcases were at least six feet high and there were rows upon rows of books. The top was a domed ceiling made of glass.

The woman stepped in front of him. Dipper was able to get a better look at her. Her blonde hair almost seemed golden and her skin seemed to be almost a gold color. She was dressed in a green sweater and blue pants and she wore glasses that hid her eyes, strangely enough.

"Welcome to Gravity Falls Public Library. Sorry about the sign. We just don't have enough money to replace it." She said with a hint of sadness in her voice about the sign before she went back to her jumpy attitude. "My name is Rian Libra and I am the head librarian!"

"Nice to meet you. I'm Dipper Pines." Dipper said as the two shook hands.

"Oh! So you're related to Sans!" She said excitedly. "Well, you will find a variety of books here. If you want me to, I can get a library card for you."

"Yeah. I'd probably use it a lot." Dipper said sheepishly as he scratched his head.

"Alright! Just let me take a photo of you and I'll get right on it." Rian brought out a small camera and put it in front of Dipper. "Say cheese!"

Dipper smiled and the camera flashed. Rian looked at the picture and smiled as she went to the computer, typed in a couple of things on her computer, and printed out the card before giving it to Dipper.

"Alright! All you have to do is sign on the bottom and you have access to everything in this library." Rian said as she gave Dipper a pen and he signed his name.

"Do you have a study room?" Dipper asked out of curiosity.

"Yes! We have one that you can book to use or just go in if it's free." Rian said enthusiastically.

"Do you think I can use it? I need a lot of space for my research." Dipper said, hoping he would be able to study in the quiet of a study room.

Rian hesitated. "Well, the Gravity Falls Book Club is in there right now... oh. But they should be done in a minute or so. You could probably go in and listen for a bit. They are about knowledge and books, after all."

"Thanks." Dipper said as he went towards the room called the "Nathaniel Northwest Room."

The room had no windows, an odd feature for a study room. Nevertheless, Dipper opened the door quietly and entered. Inside were about five or six people who sat in chairs that surrounded one individual who stood in the middle. What was odd was that they all wore dark clothing. All of the individuals looked to be teens and all listened intently to the speaker in the center.

The speaker was a teenage girl about seventeen or eighteen years of age. She had pale skin and raven hair that fell over her left eye. Her makeup made her look dark and mysterious and her eyes were dark grey, almost black eyes. Her outfit was that of a uniform. It was white with blue and red around the collar and sleeves. The only difference was that her arms were covered in a dark sleeve where lacy spiderwebs patterned her arms and dark tights covered her legs. She held a book in her arms which she held as if it were something worth protecting. On its cover was a symbol. When she spoke, it sounded ranged from sounding like a ghostly whisper beyond the grave and a shy girl.

"In my experience, I have met fairies and gnomes here in Gravity Falls," The speaker said, instantly grabbing Dipper's attention at the mention of supernatural beings. "but, there could also be witches and vampires here. The supernatural is real but, we need to proof of their existence."

The speaker looked around at her club until she met Dipper's eyes. She immediately looked down at her feet and scrunched up in posture.

"Alright. I guess that's it for today." She muttered. "This weekend, we are looking for evidence about the existence of witches. Meet up tomorrow at the edge of the forest."

Everybody left in the club, talking about searching for evidence of the supernatural. Soon, the only people left in the room was the girl and Dipper.

"Sorry." She muttered. "We were running late."

"No! It's fine! I can't believe I've found a club that believes in the supernatural!" Dipper said with excitement as an intrigued look formed on the girl's face.

"Do you really believe in the supernatural?" She muttered, awkwardly.

"Yeah! I've dealt with Ents, Stonewolves, Owlbears, Staffs of Unspeakable Power, and Mount Ebott ever since I came here." Dipper said. "I finally found people that would believe me!"

"You could... join our club." The girl said in a hushed tone. "If you want to."

"Sure! It would be fun to see what you guys do." Dipper said happily.

"I've been interested in the supernatural for as long as I can remember." She said in response. "I can't believe I've found another person that is too."

"My name is Dipper Pines." He said as he put out his hand which, the girl took after being a little hesitant.

"A... Pines?" She said in confusion. "I thought he would..."

"Who would?" Dipper said in confusion.

"I-it's nothing." The girl said, covering up her thoughts. "I'm Oka Ruto."

"Nice to meet you!" Dipper said, cheerfully.

"I'm an Oak and you're a Pine." Oka said with a smile. "And Dipper is a nice name."

"Yeah." Dipper said, scratching his head. "It's actually a nickname."

"A fitting nickname." Oka said. "The Big Dipper leads to the North Star, a symbol of navigation. You helped me realize what my club should do next."

"Heh." Dipper said, itching his arm. "Thanks."

"The next meeting is tomorrow. I'll meet you here at the library to show you where we usually meet." Oka smiled a shy smile before she went through the door out into the library with her book still in her arms. "See you tomorrow, Dipper Pines."

"Bye. See you tomorrow." Dipper said in response.

Oka went out to the front of the library and pondered a thought to herself.

"A Dipper, huh?" She mused. "The ritual says that when a Dipper comes, we can execute the ritual. I always thought it was when a shooting star from one of the Dippers falls to Earth but maybe...

It meant a person."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Pink slippers crunched through the melting snow until they came to a stop. A yellow flower was in front of them. The flower was different in the fact that it had facial features like two eyes and a mouth. The eyes were determined and in a concentrated stare as he looked up at the man in front of him.

"I heard you wanted to speak with me." The flower said in a concerned tone of voice.

"Yeah. I WANT A NICE LONG TALK WITH YA." Sans said as he gave a threatening look at the flower although the flower stood firm.

"I heard you in the house, Smiley." The flower said calmly. "I don't know what is wrong with the boy."

"Likely story." Sans snarled as he kneeled down to the ground.

"Really? Think about it, Smiley." The flower said with courage, surprising Sans. "If I were behind why the kid was acting weird, why would I be here waiting for you? I know your capabilities and I know better than to let myself be caught this easily. Either I am an idiot or I have nothing to hide."

Sans stayed silent as he thought about this. It was true. Whenever the weed talked to his brother in secret, the flower wouldn't dare let his face be shown near Sans. Maybe it wasn't the weed...

"Listen, Smiley." The flower said, snapping Sans out of his thoughts. "I have told you I have turned over a new leaf. To prove I am trying my hardest to do this, I am willing to help you."

"Really." Sans said in a reluctant and suspicious tone of voice.

"Really." The flower confirmed. "How is he acting weird?"

Sans paused. "He's been hanging out in his room a lot, he has been talking to himself, and today he snapped at me." Sans sighed. "Anything you can think of?"

The flower thought. "When did he start acting weird?"

"After he fell down here." Sans said as he looked around. "His behavior wasn't as bad at first but now it is more... noticeable."

"Hmmm... Well, I've got two possibilities, Smiley, and both of them you aren't gonna like." The flower said, hesitant to continue. "Of course, the third possibility is that he's okay and he's just fine."

"What's the other two?" Sans said, trying to hide his worry.

"The first is just like the first possibility I mentioned. You just won't like this one." The flower said.

"Ok. Shoot." Sans said, getting impatient.

"He's twelve." The flower answered with a shrug before he smiled, knowingly. "Most humans start to go through the wondrous event of mood swings and awkward talks. Luckily, it's normal but mood swings would be common."

Sans gave a sly smile at the flower before he rolled his eyes. "Now, c'mon, Flowey. He's never had especially bad mood swings before. Plus, usually mood swings are targeted at everyone, not just me." Sans said with a shrug. "Plus, I don't believe talking to yourself is one of the symptoms."

"Well, then there's the second possibility." Flowey said, his smile turned into a worried frown. "I was down here when he fell, you see. I have a peculiar power, I found."

"What power's that?" Sans said with a tired look.

"Just like yours, Sans." Flowey said with a knowing sneer. "Don't play dumb, Smiley. I know that you can see the dead. It's because your kind is in between the land of the dead and the living. Since I am also between those lands, I have that power too."

"So, you can see the dead." Sans said, reluctant to believe him.

"Just like you, Smiley. Unless, of course, they haunt someone and they have retreated into their host's mind." Flowey responded. "You see, I observed as he walked through and... I saw someone with him."

Sans's face whirled towards Flowey, his eyes open in curiosity, intrigue, and worry. "You SAW someone?"

"Yes." Flowey answered. "I couldn't get a good look at the human child but they seemed to lead him out of the Underground."

"Possession." Sans said in dread. "That's why he's been acting strange. Ghosts change their host's behavior subtly as they continue to haunt them. I have to-" Sans said as he turned before Flowey interrupted.

"Wait!" Flowey yelled. "What if it's one of the other fallen? Not all hauntings turn into possessions and not all ghosts have ill will toward their hosts."

Sans turned back to Flowey and sighed. "And what if the ghost does mean harm. I'd be blaming myself for the rest of my life if he-"

"I guess... just... trust him. He'll tell you if the child means harm." Flowey said, his head down in thinking. "Plus, the ghost might be gone. Maybe it's one of the other two options."

Sans turned away from Flowey as he walked. "thanks, flowey. i never thought you'd give me good information for once."

Flowey smirked. "Don't get me wrong. I still hate you. I just don't want to be caught doing a crime I didn't commit!"

Sans laughed a sly laugh as he continued to walk. Soon, his smile turned into a frown. "i hope he's right, kiddo. just give me some information if they do somethin' to ya."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Dipper returned to the Mystery Shack with a head full of knowledge, a big stack of books, and a club membership. There was still something off about the club. Why was their club called a book club when they could just as easily call it a supernatural club? Maybe they were just worried that they would be called crazy or weird.

Plus, Oka seemed nice, if not shy and anxious. She seemed to be knowledgeable and it seemed her club's main focus was to find the darker mysteries and secrets of Gravity Falls. It would be interesting if he could persuade her to help him find out who the Author was. After all, Oka seemed to like him.

Dipper decided that he had enough researching for a day when Mabel came in, followed by a Grunkle Sans. They entered the living room in a ruckus of puns.

"I think I fit the KOALA-fications!" Mabel answered Grunkle Sans.

"alright. but you better not be LION the job!" Sans said as he pretended to give up.

"Why, no, good sir!" Mabel responded in pretend disbelief. "That would be TREES-on!"

"yeah, but there are a lot of CHEETAHS out there." Sans shrugged before the two jokesters broke out laughing. "alright. you win. you can watch ducktective tonight."

"Yay! Thanks, Grunkle Sans!" Mabel said as she hugged Sans.

This startled Sans a bit but he chuckled a little bit as he hugged her back, his jacket making a comfy blue bubble around Mabel. Sans missed it. He missed these hugs.

"heh. thanks, kid." He said before he let go and messed up her hair. "don't change." Sans winked.

Mabel ran up to her room as she prepared to get snacks for the Ducktective show she was going to watch. Meanwhile, Dipper and Sans were all alone in the living room, neither one wanting to speak after the incident at lunch. Dipper finally sighed and spoke.

"I'm sorry for what I said, Sans." Dipper said sheepishly as he scratched his arm. "I was just stressed out. I know that you just wanted to know if I was alright and I'm sorry I snapped at you."

Sans was silent as he tried to put together his own sentence. "it's alright, kiddo. i know you didn't mean it. it's just that i've known people who were hurt just because they didn't tell somebody about what was happening."

A small smile appeared on Dipper's face at the fact that Sans understood. Sans was always nice to them, Dipper realized, although he wasn't always the best guardian. He was forgiving and overall respectful to them. Sans was certainly something.

Suddenly, Dipper and Sans heard a knock on the door. Dipper went to get it as Sans lounged on his chair. Dipper opened the door. It was night and it was down-pouring outside the Shack. What surprised Dipper was that Oka was on the porch. She wore a black jacket with the hood pulled over most of her hair and clothes. She wore black rain boots and in her arms was the book with the pentagram on in.

"Oka?!" Dipper responded before Oka shushed him.

"Don't let Sans know I'm here." She whispered with a sense of urgency.

Dipper closed the front door behind him as he stepped out onto the dry porch. "Oka, what are you doing here?" He asked in confusion.

"I know it's on such short notice but I was wondering if you wanted to go on a supernatural quest." Oka whispered.

Dipper thought for a second. "Why so late in the evening?" Dipper asked.

"We are hunting a nightmare, a creature of darkness. It only ever comes out at night and we need a piece of hair from its mane to use in other activities at the club." She answered before she looked down at her feet. "I thought... that you might... want to-"

"Come?" Dipper completed. "Sure. Just let me tell Grunkle Sans that I'm going to the library for a moment."

"Thanks, Dipper." Oka murmured as Dipper reentered the Shack.

"who was it?" Sans asked from the living room, curiously when Dipper came back inside.

"Oh. I was told by somebody that I had to pick up a book at the library. It might take me a while since I might find other books, so-" Dipper lied.

"yeah. i understand. just come back at a reasonable hour, alright?" Sans said with a wink.

Dipper smiled a bit as he got his raincoat and boots from the mud room. He put them on before he ran out the front door to where Oka was waiting, looking wistfully at the rain.

"I'm ready." Dipper said as he came out.

"Thank you, Dipper. This means so much to me that we get proof of a nightmare." Oka said, a small shy smile tugging at her mouth as the went off towards the woods.

The two walked in silence for a while as Oka led the way. She walked with some confidence that she didn't show on her face. She went into the woods with careful observation. Dipper merely followed and watched her. Eventually, Oka stopped and kneeled down as she put her hand on a part of the ground that strangely didn't have any foliage and looked more like a path.

"How are we going to find a nightmare?" Dipper asked in curiosity.

"A nightmare comes out at night. They also come to life when lightning strikes." Oka pulled up her hand to show it was covered in ash from the path. "I saw lightning strike somewhere to the right of us. I heard a whinny when it struck and I saw fire run through the woods. This ashy path shows that the nightmare is not too far away. We have to follow it."

Oka got up from the ground and started following the path. The rain made the ash a sort of dark mud but because it was black in color, it was easy to follow. Dipper soon realized that there were partially burned bushes and burnt fallen logs that made the path less of a bush whacking mission. Still, it bothered Dipper that they were trying to get hair off of the mane of a creature that was able to create a path just from running through the forest and could burn down the forest if it wanted to. Clearly, this wasn't a harmless creature.

"So... why me?" Dipper asked the most puzzling question in his mind. "You have plenty of club members to take with you so why did you choose me?"

Oka was silent for a while as she looked down at the path. Then, she answered. "I... don't know... to be honest. I just... thought you seemed loyal. I mean, the other club members look at me like I'm crazy sometimes. They look at me like I am making them act out a fake ritual or go out on mostly unsuccessful missions."

She hesitated for a while and Dipper understood. When he first got the Journal, Mabel didn't believe him. No one else believed him until a wild bug bear just so happens to come into town.

"But then you came today." Oka said as she turned to Dipper with a small friendly smile. "You looked like as though you actually believe in this stuff like I do. I mean, if you didn't believe me, why would you come out on a rainy night?" Oka paused as Dipper did an embarrassed little laugh and scratched his head. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that you seem trustworthy and loyal to me and that's all that matters to me."

"Heh... yeah. What's your story, by the way? You sound like as though you don't exactly come from here." Dipper inferred, drawing on her little tiny accent in her voice.

"You're observant. No. I'm not from Oregon or the United States. I'm from Japan. I'm a exchange student." Oka said, her tiny smile somewhat disappearing. "I stay here during the summer so that I am at home as little as possible. Since I have been here for years, my accent is barely noticeable but it still comes out sometimes."

"What's wrong with home?" Dipper dared to ask.

Oka seemed to shiver from the memory and she seemed to be at a loss of words. Dipper looked at her worriedly.

"You don't have to answer." He said with a hint of regret. "I was just won-"

"A killer was at my school." Oka said suddenly as her body continued to shudder from the memories. "The police caught her but not before my friends were... and the school was closed down."

"What would make her do that?! That's awful!" Dipper almost yelled in confusion.

"She was yandere." Oka answered before explaining. "Yandere means "love-sick." She loved a boy to the point where she needed him and so she... well... if anyone flirted with him or had a crush on him... she'd... well..."

Dipper didn't press the issue. He understood exactly what she meant. That girl at Oka's school was clearly sick in the head to the point she was willing to terminate whoever flirted with her crush. Truly, no word could fit that person other than yandere.

"I'm so far from home. I miss my family but I can't go back." Oka said with a bit of regret. "Even if I could, I would have those terrible memories. I prefer living in a Gravity Falls anyway. It's small and full of supernatural creatures and phenomenas."

Dipper was about to respond when they heard a noise ahead of them. It was the sound of a whinny and something touching the ground softly. Orange light streamed from the clearing in front of the duo. Oka immediately motioned for Dipper to hide with her in the surrounding foliage and he complied as he looked through the bushes towards the creature.

The creature was tall, at least five feet to the chest of the beast. It was in the shape of a horse with an ashy black body. Its eyes were the flame of a fire and its mane and tale were replaced with flames. Tiny flames were also on its back and on its legs near the hooves. The creature stood in the center of a fairly big clearing in the forest with a ashy trail leading to it. The creature dug its right inky black hoof into the ground in front of it, as if digging for something as its head lowered to look at where it was digging.

"That's it." Oka whispered with astonishment and awe in her voice as she spoke. "A nightmare. Did you know that a nightmare used to be a pegasus, the opposite of what it is now?"

"No." Dipper whispered in equal astonishment as he listened carefully to Oka.

"A nightmare was said to be a pegasus but an evil lord or man or god painfully took off its wings and turned something pure into something corrupted." Oka said with a hint of remorse. "Nightmares are said to be reluctant demons. In other words, they are technically demons but they try to resist their nature because they used to be pegasi."

"So... how do we get the hair off its mane when it's on fire?" Dipper asked, speaking out the obvious problem.

"They say that if someone calms the flames of a nightmare, they may take the red hair from its mane." Oka responded as she straightened her pose a little. "The way to do that is unknown, so, we have some trial and error to do."

"What?!" Dipper whisper-yelled. "You don't know?"

"No, but lucky for us, we're dealing with a reluctant demon here which means that it won't harm me outright." Oka said with a daring smile as she walked towards the beast.

Oka approached the nightmare slowly but surely. The beast noticed the approach and straightened its head to get a better look at Oka. The monstrous creature took a defensive pose, sort of like pushing down a spring before letting it launch. The flames on its head and tail flared a bit as Oka tripped a little because of the mud. Still, Oka continued her slow approach.

Meanwhile, Dipper looked through his Journal for anything about nightmares. Maybe he could find a way to die down the flames of its mane and tail. He searched through the book but there was no such page. He was about to close the book when a voice echoed through his mind.

 _Wait! Turn to that last one you saw!_ Chara's voice echoed as Dipper flipped to the page. It was a page about the loyal pegasi. She said nightmares used to be pegasi, right? Maybe there's something about them in this section. Dipper silently thanked the voice in his head for her advice as he quickly read through the section.

What pegasi eat... what a pegasus does... Dipper then read an interesting subject about pegasi. He read the article aloud to himself.

"'Above all, the best way to find a pegasus is to find a clearing in a forest. Pegasus clearings are often mistaken to be normal clearings but there are a few differences. A pegasus clearing has nests often in the surrounding trees where pegasi perch. They also have at least one pegasus keeping guard at a pegasus clearing. In my studies of these clearings, I have found promising locations for pegasi to roam but some are abandoned, left only for nightmares to come back to and try and find their friends that left them behind.' That's it!" Dipper exclaimed in realization. "That's what the nightmare is doing here!"

Dipper looked to where Oka was. Oka's face was white in fear as the nightmare became increasingly hostile to her. It wasn't because she was threatening, it seemed. It looked more like the nightmare was annoyed by her antics and wanted to be alone. The beast reared his front hooves into the air to scare Oka away. Dipper ran through the clearing to get within a distance where the beast could hear him. The nightmare was about to charge at Oka when Dipper spoke.

"You don't want to be a nightmare, do you?" Dipper said in a somewhat hushed voice, although the nightmare seemed to hear. The beast turned towards Dipper. "All your pegasus friends are gone and you came back here to see them again."

The nightmare didn't look hostile towards Dipper. Rather, it approached Dipper in a respectful manner as Dipper also approached the beast in a cautious, respectful way. Soon, they were only a few feet from each other. Oka looked in amazement as the nightmare somewhat bowed to see eye-to-eye with the twelve-year-old boy. The beast's fire on its mane and tail had dimmed dramatically from when Oka and Dipper had first laid eyes on the nightmare.

"I'm sorry that you're all alone." Dipper said. "I wish I could help you."

It was almost spontaneous. The flame of the nightmare's mane and tail died out, leaving only red hair to sport as a mane. The ire of the horse's eyes were dark too. Then, the nightmare nuzzled the side of Dipper's face. Dipper half-expected red hot pain but instead, it was surprisingly cold like freshly made igneous rocks after years of cooling down. He smiled as the horse bowed its head lower so that Dipper could take some of the strands of hair on its head.

Oka ran up to join Dipper and beamed as he gave her the strands of hair. The nightmare whinnied again before it ran off into the forest, leaving Oka and Dipper dumbfounded and happy over their successful mission. Soon, they decided to head back before Sans would get suspicious.

"Thank you." Oka said in a hushed voice, suddenly.

"For what?" Dipper asked.

"For accompanying me and getting the nightmare hair. It really means a lot to me." Oka said with a small smile.

"It's no problem. What are friends for?" Dipper replied casually but those words meant the world to Oka.

"You consider me... a friend?" She whispered.

"Well, of course!" Dipper answered. "Why? Do you not want me to be your friend?"

"No no... that's not what I meant." Oka stuttered. "I just... I've never had a friend before. I mean, the club members are fine but... they aren't exactly friends."

"Do you like having friends?" Dipper asked, curiously.

"I-I do. Especially when it's a friend like you." Oka said in a hushed voice. Dipper blushed a bit at the compliment. "It really does mean a lot to me. Thank you."

"Your welcome. If you ever need me again, feel free to come by the Shack." Dipper replied. "I'll see you at the meeting tomorrow."

"Y-yeah... see ya."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"But Ducktective! How could she be the murderer when she was the only victim to survive the massacre?!" The black-and-white constable said on the television in confusion. The camera turned to a duck who had a detective hat on it and it quacked response which was translated in the subtitles to what it meant.

"Victim, constable?" The duck quacked. "Or maybe she CAUSED the massacre!" Dramatic music played and a gasp came from the crowd.

And by crowd, I of course mean the Pines family lounging around the television. Grunkle Sans, as lazy as ever, laid on the entirety of the couch as he watched the television with a lazy stare. Mabel sat on top of his stomach as she watched the Ducktective in fascination. Dipper was watching on the floor, not as willing as his sister to sit on his Grunkle Sans.

Mabel gasped at how quick Ducktective was. "Oh... my... gosh! I can't believe it! I would've never suspected the school girl as being the murderer!" Mabel yelled as she thought through what had just happened.

"Oh c'mon. It was so obvious." Dipper said as he rolled his eyes. "She was so odd and sketchy. She was able to name the order the victims were killed and she was also a part of a club which worships demons."

"How do you know she is a part of a club that worships demons?" Mabel said in a mix of fascination and disbelief.

"Great Scott! She has a pentagram ring, the sign of the Occult Club! And they worship demons!" The constable from the TV said as if to answer Mabel's question.

 _Don't forget to mention that she was fluent with her knife. The knife skills she showed were not mere party tricks._ Chara said from the depths of Dipper's mind.

"She was also skilled with the knife, showing she had used a knife before." Ducktective quacked, as if on cue.

Sans merely grunted at each piece of evidence, as if checking off a checklist. Sans didn't seem terribly surprised by the turn of events and it seemed more like he was waiting to see how long it would take for the talking duck to figure it out. Dipper studied this for a while before Chara responded.

 _Your Grunkle is not all he seems. He has so many secrets. Maybe we could work together to find out his secrets._ Dipper thought about it. Sure, the mysteries of his Grunkle sure were puzzling but there was no use in partnering up just to find out the answers. Dipper did a subtle shake of his head and Chara went silent. What was up with wanting to partner up? And why was Dipper felt so hesitant to do it? It wasn't that anything was wrong with her but something just seemed... off.

Dipper got up from his spot on the floor and checked the time. It was about time to go meet with Oka and her club. He was suppose to meet Oka at the front of the library to see their other center of operations.

"Well, see you guys later. I'm going to the library." Dipper said, trying not to sound suspicious.

"alright. see ya later, kid." Sans said as lazily as always.

Dipper went out through the store of the Shack and then went through the front door before he heard someone open the door behind him. He turned to see Mabel in her flashy pink sweater with a fake serious look on her face.

"Mabel, what are you doing?" Dipper asked in curiosity.

"Are you going to hang out with some nerd friends at the library?" Mabel said in a playful deep voice.

"What? I'm just going to pick up more books." Dipper said, scratching his head.

"Oh bro-bro." Mabel said. "I can tell when you're lying."

"Okay. Fine." Dipper said, giving into his sister. "I'm meeting someone there for a club."

"A secret society?!" Mabel said as she brightened up and she smiled from ear-to-ear.

"N-no... well, I guess... sort of?" Dipper stuttered.

"Dipper." Mabel said as her voice turned into a deep "serious" whisper. "I. Want. In."

Dipper frowned. He couldn't have Mabel join just like that. It wasn't his club. Plus, Oka didn't seem like the type that would like Mabel. In fact, they seemed like opposites. Mabel was colorful and loud while Oka was dark and shy. That seemed like an accident just waiting to happen if she joined but Mabel was using her best puppy dog eyes she could give and Dipper finally relented.

"Okay. Fine." Dipper sighed.

"Yes!" Mabel cheered as she jumped up in the air.

"But Mabel, the club leader is shy so don't be so..." Dipper responded, trying to find the right word.

"Oh c'mon, Dipper! Shy is my middle name." Mabel said in a casual way as if everyone knew that.

Dipper knew for sure that wasn't true but he started to go towards the library anyway. Mabel was enthusiastic and pumped. She couldn't wait! She was a part of a secret society. As they neared the library, a certain raven-haired teen stood there waiting for the duo.

Upon seeing Dipper, she walked over to them with a shy glance from side to side as she held onto her book with delicacy.

"H-hello, Dipper. Who is this?" Oka asked, looking cautiously at Mabel who had chosen to wear her rainbow sweater that day.

"Yeeaahhh... sorry about that. This is my sister, Mabel. She wanted to join the club." Dipper said, scratching his arm.

"Hello, leader!" Mabel said as she saluted Oka. "I am Mabel Pines and I want in!"

"W-wow... two new members in 24 hours... how... interesting. Sure. You can join." Oka responded as Mabel cheered for being let into the club. "And I thought you were the most colorful member." Oka said to Dipper with a wink.

"Yeah... sorry." Dipper apologized.

"No no. If I were to choose one color, I would choose blue." Oka said in response. "Blue is known for enhancing intelligence and focus. Blue is known for calming down individuals and is known for multitasking. There's only one downside to blue."

"What's that?" Dipper said with a smile.

"It is the most unappetizing of the colors. Good thing we aren't eating you." Oka said with a small laugh as Dipper joined in. "Anyways, shall we get going?"

"Wait!" Mabel yelled as she went up close to the teen. "Can I look at that book, leader?"

"I'm not... sure." Oka said as she pulled the book closer to her body, defensively.

"Aww, c'mon. Please!" Mabel pressed as she moved closer.

"Mabel, stop." Dipper said with a sigh. He knew this was going to happen.

"I-I can't." Oka said, stuttering slightly as she stepped away from Mabel... right into a pillar of the library.

Oka stumbled as she put out one hand to stabilize herself and tried to stop herself from falling. Unbeknownst to Oka that a piece of paper from her book had fluttered down and landed at the Pines Twins' feet. Mabel picked it up.

"Now to see what the fuss is about." Mabel said casually as she read the page. Her smile turned into a frown and her face went white as she finished reading the page. "Dipper, you need to look at this."

"Mabel, give that back to Oka." Dipper said as he came over to Mabel. "It might be import...ant." Dipper looked at the page.

A picture of a twisted human form assaulted Dipper's eyes. It had arms and hands with devious fingernails surrounding a person in the center. The person in the center had ram horns and they were levitating off the ground. On the ground was devilish symbols with a very obvious pentagram outlining the design. There were many words on this page but what caught Dipper's eyes were the title and the components of the spell.

The title of the page was "The Twisted Powers of Summoning Demons" and one of the components was the hair of a nightmare.

Dipper looked at Oka in disbelief. Oka's face was white with fear and her posture was hunched over. Her right arm was at her side, revealing the symbol on her book: a pentagram much like the one underneath the twisted human form on the page.

"So, you planned to summon demons?" Dipper said at Oka. "And you didn't tell me?

"Yeah. Why are you trying to trick my brother into summoning demons?" Mabel said, a real serious face coming on.

"Please. Let me explain, Dipper." Oka said with a hint of remorse in her voice. "We have to prove everything in our club. Summoning a demon wasn't my plan."

"Look, Oka." Dipper said with a sigh. "I think I have to leave the club. I don't want to summon demons and I don't think we should be friends"

"No! Wait!" Oka cried out as Dipper and Mabel turned to leave.

"I'm sorry Oka but I can't trust you after you lied to me." Dipper said with remorse.

As the twins left Oka, she looked down and tried to stop her tears from flowing. Her one friendship she had had in years was now gone. She was going to be dark and lonely again. She was alone, with only a couple of club members to keep her company. The page that ruined her life fluttered to her feet from the breeze. She looked at it in desperation. That's when she came up with an idea. She was going to do it.

When Dipper was her friend, she promised herself not to but now, she was going to carry out the plan she had in mind from the moment she met Dipper. Her expression changed into one of anger and pain. She was going to get her revenge on everyone that had ruined her miserable life more and more each day. And it started with everyone Dipper held dear. In her sick and twisted mind, she considered it their fault. In her Yanderu mind, it was worth it.

Because if she couldn't have Dipper as a friend, then no one could.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Dipper sat in his room and sighed. Chara sat beside him, a grin on her face. She sat silently humming a song to herself. It was a jumpy song and it was in a minor key. It sounded more like a fight song and she seemed to like the tune. Dipper hung his head.

"I don't know, Chara. Was I too harsh with her? I mean, she seemed torn up about it." Dipper said.

"Look, Dipper." She said as her song came to an abrupt conclusion. "I'm proud of you because you were assertive. It seems as though I am starting to rub off on you. The page was ripped out, might I remind you. That means she must've thought it was important enough to take home or something. I consider you blameless in the matter."

Chara merely shrugged it as she hummed again, its tune getting louder as Dipper became more sure of himself. Chara smiled to herself as the tune made her remember past memories. Memories of blood spilt and pain felt. Memories of dust and DETERMINATION. It was her song. It was her theme song.

"Why do you keep helping me?" Dipper asked suddenly.

Chara thought to herself as the tune ended again. "To be honest, you're a logical person. You respect knowledge and so do I. As an acolyte of knowledge to another, I want you to do a favor but I can't do that unless I help you. It's my code of existence." Chara answered.

Dipper looked at the pentagram on the symbol. Maybe Oka had something to do with it. Maybe she was important somehow. Chara disappeared, as if reading Dipper's mind as he went downstairs for a drink and a snack. Mabel was there watching Ducktective.

"Hey bro." She said, trying to keep her upbeat attitude while sounding concerned. "How are you handling it?"

"It's fine. I'm fine. Not everyone is who they seem to be." Dipper answered as all of a sudden, a knock came from the door between the shop and the main house.

Grunkle Sans was nowhere to be seen, so Dipper decided that there was nothing better to do and he opened the door. A boy in a black school uniform was there. His hair was black and his eyes were a grayish color which were covered partially by his glasses. Still, his body posture and eyes were full of fear and worry and Dipper could tell this was a member of the club.

"I want nothing to do with the cult-" Dipper said before he was interrupted by the boy.

"Please! Listen!" The boy said with a fearful look in his eyes. "Is Sans here?"

"No." Dipper answered, intrigued by the fear in the boy. "What's wrong?"

Mabel came up beside Dipper in curiosity as the twins looked at the boy intently. The boy looked hesitant but he relented.

"It's Oka." He said as if a weight were relieved from his back. "She came to the meeting and she was acting weird. She said something about making the whole world burn in fire. We tried to stop her but she was... Yanderu. Sick in the head. She was saying something about how a Mabel ruined her life."

The twins looked at each other in amazement before turning back to the teen. "What is she planning on doing?" Dipper asked.

"I don't know." The teen answered. "She was talking gibberish. Then, without warning, she disbanded the club. I was sent here to get Sans. He usually knows how to deal with Oka but since he's gone, I can't bother two kids with this."

"Where is Oka?" Dipper asked.

"She's at the abandoned warehouse near the edge of a cliff. I-I wouldn't suggest going there." The boy pleaded.

The twins knew that wasn't going to happen but they lied and nodded.

"Okay. Good." The boy said before leaving the Shack.

Dipper thought about what to do. He could just leave it and ask Sans to do it. But it was his fault. She went crazy because of him. He picked up his empty backpack and filled it with three pens, his notebook, and his Journal. He zipped it up and turned around to see Mabel packing up things too in her pink backpack.

"What are you doing, Mabel?" He asked in confusion as he watched her put in her grappling hook and some chocolate.

"I'm packing up. I'm coming too, right?" She said as she ran to the pantry in the kitchen.

She moved around some cereal and other items before she gasped. She pulled out from the darkness a packet was separated into two parts. On the packet were the words, "Smile Dip". A piece of tape was on it and scrolled across it in their Grunkle's handwriting was, "frisk, do not consume unless injured. -sans". Dipper immediately understood what it was as she put the Smile Dip into her bag.

"Mabel, Oka is my problem. I can't ask you to come with me." Dipper said solemnly.

"Good! You don't have to ask. I'm coming with you no matter what." Mabel said with pure DETERMINATION as she zipped up her backpack and put it on. "Let's go!"

Dipper rolled his eyes. He couldn't stop her even if he tried. Luckily for both of them, he knew the way to the abandoned warehouse and in his mind, it became painfully obvious that that was where the club used to meet because the trail that went through the woods and went to the warehouse was close to the library.

When the Twins reached the rundown building, they shared a confident glance before they opened the door and entered the building.

It was dark inside other than candles that made a circle around a figure in the darkness. A symbol was carved in the floor and in the center, hunched over and facing away from the twins was Oka. Her hair was messed up and she didn't move upon their approach.

"I knew you would come." She said in a quiet voice. Her words were methodical and sounded demented.

"Stop this, Oka." Dipper said, DETERMINED.

"Yeah, Oka." Mabel said in a sad voice. "We could be friends if you stopped worshipping demons and devils!"

"I knew you would come." Oka chanted again. "I knew you would come... and I WANTED you to come."

All of a sudden, the door to the warehouse slammed shut with no warning. Mabel jumped and the Twins turned towards the door before turning back to Oka.

".edistuo yad lufituaeb a s'tI .gnimoolb era srewolf ,gnignis era sdriB" Oka chanted, her voice rhythmically getting louder with each syllable. ".TLUCCO EHT GNIYDUTS EB DLUOHS em ekil sdik ,eseht ekil syad nO"

"What does that mean?" Mabel said with a concerned expression on her face. Then, Oka stopped.

Oka laughed a sick and cruel laugh. Then, she turned to the twins. Her face was a cruel grin and her eyes were wide in an insane, crazed frenzy. Then, she spoke in what sounded more like a menacing growl.

"And kids like us should be BURNING IN HECK!" She yelled as she laughed. "After all, how often does a Dipper come?"

A wind kicked up in the warehouse as if some force were circling Oka as her hair followed it. She chanted into the wind.

"!TLUCCO EHT FO REWOP EURT eht ees enoyreve yaM" She said in a loud voice.

All of a sudden, a light came from Dipper's forehead. In confusion, he lifted his hair to show that he had a birthmark on his head that was shaped like the Big Dipper. What was unusual was the fact it was glowing.

"Why is your birthmark glowing?!" Mabel yelled amidst the roaring winds.

Before he could answer, the wind blew out the candles surrounding Oka and the light from Dipper's birthmark dimmed. Then, the light of the Sun returned to the warehouse and the light shone. Just when the Twins thought they had survived the battle, the true transformation took place.

Oka wasn't standing but floating a few inches from the ground. Her eyes were white and glowing. Then, with control, she lifted her arms. Mabel screamed as a grotesque hand with long claws came out of the ground and tried to slash her. She dodged it and ran outside of the radius of the hand. Then, another one popped up near Dipper. Dipper yelled as he backed away from that hand and then turned and saw another hand burst from the ground. He dodged the attacks, one of the hands nearly catching him. Once he got out of the radius of the two hands, he noticed a slash mark across his blue vest. He was that close from being slashed.

The twins watched in horror as a ring of monstrous hands from the ground surrounded Oka. Oka, herself, had minor changes done to her body other than a pair of ram horns that appeared on her head. Once the transformation was complete, she looked at the twins with a twisted smile.

" ** _NOW YOU SHALL KNOW THE TRUE POWER OF THE OCCULT!_** " Oka said, her voice sounding like it was a mix of two voices, her regular shy voice and a demonic voice. Both were loud and both were ready to fight.

(During this series, this message is for what music to play for battles. Play "BAD TIME" from Yanderetale. Also, I'd like to say that is italicized and starts with * means that that's what Mabel or Dipper did in Undertale standards and what the effect was.)

 _*Oka Ruto attacks_

Oka held up her right hand and clenched it into a fist. Mabel felt something hold her. It was as if Oka were holding her very being in her hands. With a smirk on her lips, Oka moved her arm from being in front of her to the right of her, as if pointing to the wall.

"Woooaaah!" Mabel yelled as her body was pushed with great force against the wall.

"Mabel!" Dipper yelled as he watched his sister get injured from hitting the wall.

Dipper moved to help his sister but Oka, still outstretching her right arm to the right wall, clenched her left fist and Dipper felt the same sensation of having his whole being forced to do her beck and call. Then, she stretched her left arm towards the left arm and Dipper was forced against the left wall, taking damage from hitting it so hard.

" ** _YOU'RE JUST AS FOOLISH AS AYANO TO FOOL WITH ME!_** " Oka said with a smile. **" _SHE TRIED TO TAKE ME DOWN BUT SHE DIED MANY TIMES, TRYING._ "**

* _Oka waits for your first move._

Dipper felt the pressure on his body give way as he was able to move again and so was Mabel. Mabel ran towards Dipper only for her to hit an invisible wall.

"Dipper! I can't get to you!" She yelled as Dipper tried to walk to her, only to find the same result. He got an idea and he tried to run away from Oka, only to find another invisible wall. He obviously couldn't go through the real wall of the warehouse and he didn't want to go towards Oka. It was like the Twins were surrounded in boxes that separated them from everything else except Oka.

Dipper realized that he needed a clear head. How was he going to get out with Oka bearing down at them. You could always FIGHT her. Chara's voice echoed but Dipper shook his head. Dipper decided he needed information before he could do anything. He needed to know how to beat her. How to stop her and the way to do that was to find her weaknesses.

* _You CHECK Oka Ruto_

Dipper looked through his Journal until he found a page that was titled, "Combatting a Human With Demonic Powers". Dipper skimmed through and also looked up at Oka to look for strengths and weaknesses. Finally, he found a way to get the power out of her. "The weakness of a human warlock, as I call them, is the fragility of their body and emotions. Their power disperses if the warlock experiences too much physical injuries or is convinced their ways are wrong."

* _CHECK - OKA RUTO ATK: 7 DEF: 3_

 _*A schoolgirl who learned to fight back with demons._

 _*Weaken their physical or emotional condition and their powers will disperse._

Meanwhile, Mabel looked through her backpack and took out her trusty grappling hook and equipped it. She held it out in front of her in a dramatic pose.

"Time to use this baby!" She exclaimed as Oka got ready to make her move.

* _You equipped Grappling Hook! Your MOVEMENT and SPEED are increased by 2 when you're blue._

" ** _GET READY FOR THE FIGHT OF YOUR LIFE!_** " Oka yelled as it was followed by a cruel laugh.

Suddenly, Mabel felt her body being forced to the ground. She cried out as she tried to stay on her feet. Once she didn't feel forced to the ground anymore, she noticed that the ground was glowing red. Not realizing what was going on, she stayed there until hands much like the ones surrounding Oka came out of the ground. Noticing the hands, Mabel jumped as high as she could and fired her grappling hook towards the rafters which brought her up higher. Unfortunately, she was a little late as the fingernails of the hands scratched up her feet and legs. Mabel cried out in pain as the attack continued.

"Mabel!" Dipper yelled, concerned for his sister as he watched the continuing attack. She landed on the ground on unsteady legs before she felt her body being turned sideways, as if gravity had been flipped to her side. As she fell, she saw hands come out of the ground in a zigzag pattern. This time, she tried to follow the pattern, only being scratched once or twice. Then, gravity went back to normal as she was left sprawled on the floor. She barely had time to rest though, as four featureless heads with their mouths opened appeared.

Mabel looked at them in curiosity until she realized that they were going to shoot a beam at her. She went into the one of the places where the first two blasters weren't going to get her before doing the same thing for the next two and then the next before finally two blasters went off and then nothing else appeared. Mabel stood up on shaky legs as she went over to her backpack and sat down. Sharp gasps moved her form as she tried to calm herself down. Dipper looked at his sister in horror and concern before seeing he had some attacks to dodge too.

Compared to what Mabel experienced, his was easier. Hands came from the ceiling and the floor but were evenly spaced so that Dipper could jump through the hands. Dipper made it through the hands with ease but then, a tall jump came and he didn't clear it. His feet scraped the hands, giving him damage. For some reason, the hands didn't give him as much damage as he thought he would get. Dipper was exhausted after dodging the attacks. He panted as he wiped sweat off his brow.

He looked to Mabel to see that she was badly scratched up. Sure, she wasn't too badly hurt but the trauma of having to dodge all that was enough to make her shake and quiver.

* _Oka looks at her nails_

"What do you hope to accomplish by this, Oka?!" Dipper yelled out in a mix of anger, concern, and guilt.

* _Question: You question Oka's intentions._

Meanwhile, Mabel managed to hold onto her hopes and get a hold of herself. She got up on her legs which were still a bit shaky but this time from the cuts and not the trauma. She thought through her options.

"I guess it's time for my secret weapon." She said with a smirk. "Let's get NUTS!"

* _CRAZY: You begin being as random as you possibly can. Your SPEED and DEF increased! Enemies attack you harder._

" ** _IN MY FIRST-YEAR, I MET A GIRL MUCH LIKE ME._** " Oka answered responding to Dipper's question before attacking. " ** _SHE WAS SHY AND BROODING AND QUIET. LITTLE DID I KNOW AT THE TIME THAT SHE WOULD RUIN MY ENTIRE LIFE ONE DAY."_**

Dipper noticed hands coming out of the ground and coming towards him. What was different was that the first hand he saw was a light blue color and it was taller than he could jump. In his mind, there was no use in trying. He might as well just take the damage. Besides, he could see that beyond the light blue hand was a white one that was definitely smaller in size and he would be able to jump over it. From what Dipper could see, this pattern of blue hand and then white hand continued for sometime.

"It's a good day to die." Dipper whispered as he shut his eyes, the light blue hand getting closer. Surprisingly, he felt nothing. No pain. Quick! Jump! Chara yelled in his mind. Dipper jumped before he even opened his eyes. He looked behind him in that split second and saw the blue hand go back underground. It had passed him and it didn't even harm him. Once he landed, he stayed still for the light blue hand that approached to test his theory. Again, it passed through him without harming him. He stayed in place and jumped in time with the attacks until the attack ended.

Dipper turned to look at how Mabel was doing.

"Hey bro!" She said as she waved a hand. "I'm playing Dodge-the-lasers jumphand!"

Mabel had clearly found the best way to describe the attacks she was dodging. Blasters were appearing everywhere, trying to hit her with blasts of energy. Mabel, because of how crazy she was, dodged most of these blasters. Occasionally, she would be clipped by one of them. Of course, that was one half of the attack Oka was doing. Dipper judged from the expression on Oka's face that she hated Mabel dodging most of her blasters. At regular intervals, Oka would put her fist up and the floor underneath Mabel would fill with hands before retreating back underground, only for the hands to come up again.

Dipper was dumbfounded at how well Mabel was dodging this attack. Mabel would dodge the lasers and then jump while dodging different lasers. Some might even say that she was gracefully dodging the attack. In fact, even though her life was on the line, she looked like she was enjoying it. Dipper was getting exhausted just by watching. Eventually, the attack ended.

* _Mabel receives a gold medal in the Dodge-the-laser jumphand nationals._

Mabel panted as she tried to catch her breath. Then, she straightened up her posture. She didn't understand why Oka would fight. Maybe she could reason with her or try to tell her to stop summoning demons.

"Look, Oka." Mabel said with a sigh. "You don't have to be the bad guy. I don't know what happened to you but we don't have to fight over it."

* _TALK: You try to tell Oka that you don't want to fight._

Oka's face was obscured by her long dark hair that was in front of her face. Still, Dipper could see her physically shiver as if she knew she was wrong. It was a small victory that they were at least getting through to her. Then again, Oka hated Mabel. It was clear from how hard the attacks Mabel had to dodge compared to his. Maybe it was because Mabel found the page that broke their friendship. If only he could get some of the heat off of Mabel so that she didn't have to dodge as much and have a higher likelihood of getting hit.

"Oka!" He yelled, instantly making Oka's face turn towards him. "Look! It's not Mabel's fault she revealed who you really are!"

* _DISTRACT: You tell Oka that it was not Mabel who broke your friendship. Enemies ATK Mabel less! Enemies ATK you more._

" ** _I COULDN'T HELP BUT BE THE VILLAIN! I HAD TO STOP HER!_** " Oka yelled in response to what Mabel said. " ** _WE FOUGHT TO THE DEATH!_** "

Mabel felt her body being lifted up into the air. She yelled out in alarm as she hit the ceiling and fell. She surprisingly didn't feel too bad after that compared to the scratches the hands gave her. Speaking of hands, Mabel didn't dare move from the spot she had landed for from the walls came two monstrous hands that didn't attack the middle. Then, she felt her body hit the left wall and as she fell, she saw above her a hand coming down to crush her. She moved to the right in a dash and missed it. Then, her body hit the floor. Hands started to come out of the floor. Luckily, Mabel knew the trick now and she didn't hesitate to shoot her grappling hook towards the roof to avoid the hands. Then, the attack ended short to Mabel's surprise.

Mabel turned to tell the news to her brother only to see that he was not doing too well. It was strange. The attack was just like Mabel's Dodge-the-lasers Jumphand attack that she dodged but it would cut out, as if time skipped. Then, Dipper would find himself in a different scenario, be it jumping hands, dodging light blue hands, or trying to evade blasters, before time skipped again and Dipper was back to Dodge-the-lasers Jumphand.

The only problem with this was that Dipper was getting tired, as he wasn't as agile or as physically active as his sister. He took damage from everything. In the end, his legs were scratched up and his skin looked like he had been sunburned in multiple places by the time the attack was over.

* _Dipper threatens to take Mabel's title by playing Dodge-the-lasers Jumphand X-treme!_

Dipper felt terrible. His legs ached and he felt pain all over his body. It hurt beyond belief and he certainly didn't look good either with his clothes torn and tattered. He knew he couldn't do that again. He couldn't survive another attack. He had just one option left.

"Oka... I-I'm hurt really badly... If you actually care... y-you'd stop fighting us right now." Dipper said, trying to think of a better option than this but eventually making the choice.

* _SPARE_

Oka looked at Dipper. It was a look of pain and sorrow and it became painfully clear to Dipper that maybe the demon was in control at times and hurt Dipper more than Oka could bear to do.

Mabel looked at her brother in concern and horror. It was a mistake to come here. It was a mistake to challenge Oka. Now Dipper was harmed beyond belief. She had to end this. She had to end this now for Dipper.

* _SPARE_

"Oka!" She shouted. "Dipper is injured badly! I know you don't want this! Please, just-"

 ** _"You don't understand what it's like!_** " Oka cried out, tears clearly flowing from her eyes. " ** _You don't understand what it's like to fight with all your might and no matter how hard you try, you just can't win!_** "

Oka fell to the floor in a ragged sob, her power leaving her body like smoke leaving a fire. Her body shuddered and shook from the sobs. She seemed so weak that even a tiny breeze could push her over.

 _*BATTLE WON! You won 0 Exp and 0 LV._

Mabel went towards her brother cautiously in case the invisible wall was still there. It was a small victory for her when she found the wall was gone and she ran to her brother's side.

"Are you okay?" Mabel asked, worriedly.

"Could be better." Dipper grumbled back with a small smile.

"Y-you just don't understand." Oka said through the sobs, causing the Twins to look at her crouched form. "She killed me and then, a demon brought me here... I live here in this dimension now but I miss my home. I miss my school. I miss my club. I miss my Senpai."

Dipper and Mabel shared a glance. Dipper couldn't help but feel bad. Oka lost everything in that one fight and was forced to live here. Sure, he was mad she fought him but at least she didn't do it over love or something. She just wanted to go home and maybe, in a way, Dipper felt homely to her.

Mabel stood up straight, walked over to the crying teen, and stood behind her.

"Awww. C'mon, Oka. This dimension isn't so bad." Mabel said as she put a hand on Oka's shoulder.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" Oka yelled as she turned around and teared off Mabel's reassuring hand. "I don't need your pity or your friendship!"

Oka stood up suddenly, her hair tossing in the draft of the warehouse. Her eyes were full of anger and hatred. Her torn-up clothes and messed up hair made her look more like a witch as she turned around from the twins.

"I will have my vengeance on your family once and for all if it's the last thing I do!" She cried out. "Mark my words! There will be a day when you regret messing with Oka Ruto!"

Then, in a flash of light blue light and a puff of dust, Oka was gone. Dipper didn't even get to say anything to her. She was just gone like that.

Mabel came up to Dipper and held out a hand to lift him up off the floor. He smiled as she pulled him up, only for him to stumble a bit. Before he could fall, however, she caught him and put his arm around her neck. Mabel picked up the two backpacks they brought.

"Come on, Dipper. Let's help get you home." She said, a hint of sadness mixed in with optimistic voice. It was understandable though, Dipper thought. It wasn't everyday that people fight demons and live to tell the tale.

The duo smiled a small smile at each other before leaving the warehouse and limping home with joy that they were still alive. And each of them, personally, could not wait to feel Grunkle Sans' embrace.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Pines family were sitting together in the living room. Upon seeing the kids beat up, Grunkle Sans, with a worried expression, tried to help soothe the pain. Dipper's right ankle was sprained and both Twins had "sunburns" that needed to be treated with a cooling gel Sans was able to find.

Dipper was laying on the couch with one hand on an ice pack on his head where a bruise was. Gauze was all over his legs from the injuries he had sustained from the hands. Mabel sitting on the armrest of the couch, her arms and legs covered in colorful bandaids. Both kids were exhausted and tired but they were surprised when Sans insisted they lay on the couch while he sat on the floor. While recovering, the Twins decided to be honest with Grunkle Sans and told everything, other than the Journal and Chara and Sans listened to every word in interest.

"yeah. oka is a bad girl to hang out around." Sans said with a passive expression. "let's just say we don't get along."

"So you've met her before?" Dipper said, sheepishly.

"yeah. i should've known that when you were goin' to the library that you would meet her followers." Sans said, a look of regret crossing his features. "i'm sorry you kids had to fight her."

"It's not your fault, Grunkle Sans!" Mabel interjected. "We didn't tell you so how were you to have known?"

"Yeah, Mabel's right. I should've told you when I joined. I'm sorry." Dipper said apologetically.

"ehhh... there's nothing to be sorry about, kiddos. you guys held out on your own. i'll tell ya what. how about tomorrow i go get you guys a nice cream." Sans said with a shrug. "i remembered you guys haven't had nice cream yet so this sounds like the perfect special occasion to have some."

"Thank you, Grunkle Sans!" Mabel said with reduced excitement due to her exhaustion. To prove this, she yawned afterwards.

"Thanks, Grunkle Sans." Dipper said in his controlled manner.

"no problem, kids." Sans said before getting up off the floor. "you guys have had a long day. whaddya say we hit the hay?"

"Yeah. Good night, Grunkle Sans." Mabel mumbled as she got up on unsteady legs and walked up the stairs.

"g'night, mabel." Sans said with a smile before he turned to Dipper. "alright, kid. let's get ya up there."

"Sans, why are you the person that usually deals with Oka?" Dipper asked once Mabel was out of the scene. A battle of wills seemed to play Sans' mind like as though he was deciding whether to tell him or not. Then, when Dipper thought that every secret of his Grunkle was always going to be a mystery, Sans sighed and spoke.

"Kid, I'm good at dodging. She's good at attacking." Sans said in a quiet voice. "It's like the immovable object versus the unstoppable force, other than none of us are unstoppable or immovable. She eventually tires because of her human body and I usually tire because dodging is hard for lazy bones like me. Then, we call it a draw. She calms down and I get a well deserved nap."

"So that's why. You're good at dodging those attacks?" Dipper said, relieved as ever to finally get some answers.

"yup. i used to be a champion dodger in the day. i'm not as good as back then but i'm still able to hold my ground." Sans looked at Dipper with a sly smile at Dipper's amazement. "what? i can't keep all my secrets from a smart kid like you."

Dipper blushed at the compliment and laughed a little. Sans seemed a little relieved that there was no tension this time.

"alright, let's get you to bed. you've had a long day and you deserve sleep for your work.

Sans put Dipper's arm around his neck before leading Dipper up the stairs and putting him in bed.

"Good night, Sans." Dipper said softly.

"g'night, kid." Sans responded as he closed the door.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was late at night and the Twins were fast asleep in their beds when Sans entered. The night obscured his face until the only thing visible were his eyes. His slippers padded softly on the carpet as he placed his white skeleton hand on Mabel's head, careful not to wake her or even harm a single hair on her head. A subtle green light came from his hand as some of Mabel's smaller wounds knitted back together and her larger wounds became nothing more than small scabs at an unusual speed.

"good night, mabel." Sans whispered in her ear before going towards her brother's bed.

Sans put his skeleton hand softly on Dipper's head too as green magic healed his wounds and helped his sprained ankle. Sans might've not been as good at healing as his brother but he still wasn't bad at it. Plus, they were going to have nice cream the next morning which should help heal the injuries Sans couldn't finish. Once Sans was satisfied, he took his skeleton hand off Dipper's head. Then, his skeleton hand looked as if it glitched a bit before it turned into a human hand like it usually was.

"good night, dipper." Sans whispered as he went back to the door.

"You would make your grandpa proud." Sans said in all seriousness as he closed the door.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Oka was sitting in a desk in a dark room. Cork boards were all over the walls where photos were pinned to the boards and all of them were connected by a red string. Oka didn't care about the boards. What she needed was vengeance. She opened up her book and searched for something she thought was catastrophic. In a way, she was like a kid in a candy store. There was always a powerful weapon, a terrifying creature, or a demon on every page. Then, she found an interesting page and what was on it made her smirk.

"I'll show the Pines what it means to anger demons." She said before she slammed her book closed and went out of the house. There was a lot of substances she needed to collect and so little time. Her vengeance needed to be perfect. In a perfect vengeance, the Pines would bow down before her, only for the family to be obliterated with one blast. The only person she was hesitant about destroying was Dipper. Maybe if he returned to her side, she would SPARE the family. Maybe was the key word.

She went out the door, leaving her book on the desk. She didn't even notice that when she slammed it shut, the pentagram symbol that was on her book fell off. Still, she wouldn't even care if the pentagram was on or not. She only cared about its contents.

The paper fluttered to the floor. In its place on the book was a hand made out of golden paper. The hand was missing a circular piece in the center. In its place was the number 2.

 **23-8-15 8-1-19 17-21-1-12-9-20-9-5-19 20-1-8-20 1-18-5 21-19-5-6-21-12 1-14-4 25-5-20 8-1-19 1 23-5-1-11-14-5-19-19 23-5 12-15-1-20-8-5?**

1 16-5-14-20-1-7-18-1-13


	6. The Costume Ball

**A/N Hey guys! Welcome to this original chapter! Yay! By original, I mean that it wasn't inspired very much by any episode of Gravity Falls. I mean, it's sort of like Double Dipper but not in the same way. Also, this episode was inspired by Stars (Obvious cryptic clue is obvious). This is a fun one to write.**

 **So, here's some news and decisions I have made while writing this chapter. First, Gravity Falls: a Sans-ational Tale has Arc Enders. These are the ends of certain predetermined story arcs that make this story more organized (Trust me, if I didn't plan this, we wouldn't even get to the emotional stuff until, like, 60 chapters). I have decided that Arc Enders or, "Season Finales" (Although they aren't the end of a season), will be different from a normal chapter. They will be longer, of course but they will be distinguished by three different things.**

 **The beginning will be like the opening credits of a movie. Think, the beginning of the"Night of the Living Pharmacists" from Phineas and Ferb. In other words, I will say to play a certain music, usually orchestrated, and tell you what the screen looks like at certain times of the music. Beware, because these will often have spoilers (Although some are quite obvious *cough* First Arc Ender *cough*) Ex: At 2:30 of the music, the screen cuts to Flowey who is bouncing in time with the music. Beside him, it says "*insert name here* as Flowey".**

 **The Arc Enders will always mark the start of a "mini break" for me. At this point, I will take Q and As in the reviews and answer them with the characters, I will respond to prompts and drabble ideas, and I will allow people to ask me to write a scene/chapter in an AU of Gravity Falls: A SANS-ational Tale. Ex: Rewrite the first chapter but with the Underswap characters, where Mabel acts like Dipper and vice versa, and with Berry and Swap!Papyrus. They can also be as crazy as this next example. Ex2: Write the first chapter using the Storyshift characters where every character is shifted except for Dipper and Mabel, who are Swaped, where Dipper acts like Mabel and vice versa, and the storyshift characters are also Underfell characters, too and... etc. All of these prompts, drabbles, and Q and As will be in a new story on my page.**

 **You will know that I have made an Arc Ender when the picture/cover art for the story has been changed. These always have something to do with the chapter and will stay up until the next Arc Ender comes along to replace it. When I finish this story (I know, sad thought), I will put it up to vote as to which cover art was your guys' favorite. And yes, these cover arts were drawn by ME! (Other than the background of the first Arc Ender that will come up soon).**

 **Also, an OC named Alex was added to this story. He belongs to Alextisgr8.**

 **Anyways, enjoy and please don't fight my opinions (you'll see later). Vigenere: YILLAJLLK**

 **(Put the codeword in just like this but to find out what it says, Atbash Shift 3)**

It was a few days after the "Oak" incident, as it came to be called. Mabel and Dipper had made a surprisingly fast recovery, something that puzzled Dipper. Mabel had barely any bruises or scabs left and Dipper's sprained ankle had been reduced to nothing more than an occasional limp. Dipper thought of possible reasons but none seemed to explain the strange regeneration of his body.

That wasn't what was on Dipper's mind right now, though. Right now, he was strolling through town with his Grunkle Sans, sister, and friend. Grunkle Sans had suggested to walk around town to get some fresh air. After all, the kids had mostly been exhausted from the incident and stayed indoors most of the time with no new adventures to report. MK decided to join them since she had nothing better to do. Right now, she was talking enthusiastically to Mabel.

"So, anyways, when I was younger, I used to think that kids were only kids if they had striped clothing, like me. You should've seen my face when I met kids who didn't wear striped shirts." MK said with a smile as Mabel laughed.

"That must've been great!" Mabel giggled. "I wish I could've been there."

"Yeah. It was a riot." MK said as she concluded her funny story.

The group meandered through the town which was different from usual. Today, there were carts selling produce and toys. The group walked around the out skirts of the market. Sans looked between the carts, looking in interest to see if anything was worth buying. Dipper looked around him to look for something, only for a building up ahead to catch his eyes.

Unlike the surrounding buildings, the one up ahead looked newly built. It was a large building in the shape of a cube. It was two-stories tall and had many windows. Next to the building were two smaller buildings that had windows as well but were only one story. This group of buildings greatly contrasted in appearance, compared to the surrounding rustic buildings.

"What's that building up there?" Dipper asked in curiosity.

"i heard that that's a school. those two tinier buildings are dorms. i heard it's a very prestigious school or something." Sans said with a lazy smile.

"Guys, what's that girl putting up fliers for?" Mabel asked as she pointed to the right of her.

A girl that looked about Mabel and Dipper's age was hammering a poster to the outside of city hall. With each flier she hang up, a crowd gathered around it.

"i dunno. let's find out." Sans said, leading the group towards where the girl was.

As they neared city hall, Dipper and Mabel got a better look of the girl. The girl had blonde hair, the color of sunshine, that fell to her waist and her eyes were brown. She wore a spring green shirt along with jeans. As Dipper, Mabel, Sans, and MK neared, the girl took notice and turned to greet them.

"Oh! Hello!" The girl said with a bright, welcoming smile that matched her sunny hair.

"Hello!" Mabel yelled cheerfully.

"Hi." Dipper said, modestly.

"Yo!" MK replied with a happy smile.

"heya. i haven't seen you around town before." Sans said with a friendly smile.

"That's right, mister. I'm new here! My name's Judy Greenway. I go to that new school that was built." The girl replied with a friendly attitude. "The headmistress allowed some of the students to come here over the summer to get to know Gravity Falls! I sleep in the dorms."

"Wow! That's cool!" MK said with a welcoming voice. "What are you putting up there?"

"Oh! Sorry. I got carried away!" Judy said sheepishly as she got out of the way and allowed the group to see the flier. "This year, my school is celebrating its reopening at this new location. Because we want to be more incorporated with the town, we are hosting the annual Costume Ball."

The flier was certainly a way to advertise it. On the poster, it showed a couple dancing in a spotlight while many other dancers watched. The two dancers were in costumes. The guy was in a suit with a werewolf mask on while the girl was in a dazzling dress, her hair tied up in a bun with angel wings behind her dress. On top, it announced the annual Costume Ball and that it would happen on Friday in the evening.

"Oh my gosh! I forgot all about the Costume Ball!" MK said with a gasp.

"What's the Costume Ball?" Mabel asked excitedly, already feeling the love and romance in the air. After all, balls were where princesses and princes meet and fall in love.

"The Costume Ball is a Gravity Falls tradition. There's a whole legend around it." Judy responded with a smile.

"What's the legend?" Dipper asked, instantly intrigued by this tradition's lore.

"Well, it was said that centuries ago, a peasant man and a princess fell in love with each other. They wanted to get married but they couldn't because the man had a dark secret that forbade them by law to love each other." Judy answered.

"What was the problem?" Mabel inquired, wanting to hear more about this love story.

"The man was a monster in disguise." MK replied. "The rest of his kind were considered enemies to the human race. While the rest of the monsters were sealed away after a great war, the man disguised himself and hid."

"That's right." Judy said with a smile. "The monster was able to look and feel human but he was still a monster and the princess knew it. She loved him nonetheless. One day, a ball was decreed for the princess. She invited her love and they danced the night away."

"Then, the gem on her necklace glowed. The gemstone on her necklace became known as Caritaszanite or 'Love" gemstone. According to the legend, the stone shines a spotlight onto a couple that is the most destined to be with each other." MK continued, starting off where Judy ended.

"Everyone at the ball watched and stared as the princess and her love danced under the crystal's light." Judy replied in an admiring way. "Then, the king found out that the man was a monster. A sorcerer felt the monster's magic and found him out. The king was merciful, however, and he allowed the monster to stay in his kingdom for one more day before he was to be exiled."

"But when the next day dawned, the princess and the man were gone." MK said, sounding mysterious.

"It was said that the princess and the monster fled across the seas and traveled by land until they came to an area where they could live together forever. It was said that they eventually settled in present-day Oregon." Judy ended. "So, every year, the town throws a ball where everyone puts on costumes, from monsters to princess dresses, to symbolize the monster who disguised himself to look human. Then, in the middle of the ball, we shine spotlights on a couple that we believe will last forever to symbolize the Caritaszanite. Those two will dance and lead the rest of the couples into the rest of the waltzes."

"How romantic!" Mabel gushed as she thought over everything. "Romantic legend, romantic ball, romantic spotlight! Looks like I've hit the matchmaker jackpot! Maybe I'll even find a date!"

"Well, if your interested, you can take one of these flyers." Judy said as she took one of the flyers she was going to hang up and gave it to Mabel and the gang. "I've got plenty, anyway."

"Dipper! You should totally go!" Mabel pleaded. "It'll be so much fun!"

"Yeah! Even if you don't have a date, you can still come! That's what I do!" MK said, backing up Mabel. "There's food, dancing, and you could always volunteer to shine the spotlight or make the food."

"I don't know. Dancing isn't my thing and that seems like the prime event." Dipper replied, hesitantly.

"Costume Ball, huh?" A familiar lazy teenage voice came from behind Dipper. "I forgot that was coming up."

"Wendy!" Dipper shouted as he spun around to see Wendy standing there, looking at Judy and the poster.

"So, your school's hosting it this year?" Wendy asked with a hint of curiosity and intrigue.

"Yeah!" Judy answered as cheerfully as ever. "Our gym will be decked out in streamers, food, and drinks, we'll have a spotlight that will shine on the lucky couple this year, and even our band and orchestra are joining in by playing the waltzes. They have been practicing for months for this special occasion!"

"Cool. When is it?" Wendy asked, lazily.

"It's on Friday. It starts at 6:30." Judy answered with a smile.

"Sweet. Maybe I'll go." Wendy said, considering her choices.

"Great!" Judy cheered as her eyes brightened up even more than before. "Well, I have to go back to hanging posters. Hope to see all of you there!"

Judy immediately rushed to a telephone pole and started hanging up another poster. Meanwhile, Dipper was thinking through his options. Should he go to the Costume Ball? On the con side, he wasn't that great at dancing. Count to think of it, he had never exactly danced at a ball. For all he knew, he could have two left feet and trip over himself. He was awkward too and this was a social event. He probably would awkwardly talk with some people and that would not be fun. Another reason not to go was the fact that instead of attending this silly ball, he could research about the symbols or the Author or who know what.

In terms of pro, all he had was Wendy. Wendy was most likely going to be there. In a perfect world, he would ask Wendy to dance and the spotlight would land on the two of them. Of course, that wasn't a sure thing. Still, if he danced with her, it would be a win for him. In his logical mind, the choice was easy.

"Looks like the pros have it." Dipper muttered under his breath.

"Hey Wendy." An unwelcoming voice reached Dipper's ears is Robbie came up to Wendy, looking as dark and brooding as usual.

"Oh hey, Robbie." Wendy answered happily.

"So, are you going to the Costume Ball?" Robbie asked, looking down at his feet.

"I don't see why not." Wendy said as if she had nothing better to do on that day.

"Oh. Cool." Robbie responded, still looking down at his feet. "I was just wondering if you would... go with me to the Costume Ball."

It was out. Dipper couldn't stop it. His rival had already asked Wendy out. Dipper looked at Robbie, stunned. The only thing that could save Dipper's hopes was if Wendy said no. Alas, this did not happen.

"Sure, Robbie." Wendy said cheerfully. "I'll need to get a costume, though."

"Oh, cool." Robbie said before he gave gloating smile to Dipper while Wendy looked down at the poster. Then, when she looked back at Robbie, he smiled a kind smile. "See you there."

"Yeah. See ya." Wendy responded before she turned to the Mystery Twins, MK, and Sans. "See you guys later."

"Bye Wendy!" Mabel yelled out as she started to leave.

"See you at the Ball!" MK cheered.

"yeah. see ya at work." Sans said with a shrug.

"Bye... Wendy." Dipper muttered under his breath in defeat. Unfortunately, nobody noticed as the group moved on through the vendors with MK and Mabel excitedly talking about the Ball.

"So... is the Ball, like, romantic or SUPER romantic?!" Mabel asked MK excitedly.

"M'bel, it depends on whether you have a partner or not. Since I usually go to the Ball with no date or partner, it's usually just romantic. If you went with a date, it's probably more." MK replied, nonchalantly.

"Wow! I NEED to get a date! I want the full romantic package!" Mabel shouted.

"Or, you could go single like me..." MK said, laughing awkwardly afterwards.

"Oh Mikay. Everyone has a special someone to ask out. You just need to look hard enough!" Mabel said as if it were the law of the land. "Eventually you will find Mr. Right, Mikay. I promise you."

"I don't know. I could be the exception, y'know." MK said, hesitantly at first. "But, I'll give you the benefit of a doubt."

"Yay! Doubt!" Mabel cheered before she turned her attention to Sans. "Grunkle Sans, are you going to the Costume Ball?"

"naw, kid. i'm not much of a dancer." Sans said with a shrug as he lazily smiled. "i would only go if i had a date and from the looks of it, i have none."

"Awwww... But Grunkle Sans! You must have someone that you want to ask out!" Mabel whined as she tried to change his mind.

"trust me, kid." Sans said as he started to turn towards Mabel. "if i had someone to ask out, i would've done it in a-"

Sans was stunned. He was turning towards Mabel and he was halfway through doing that before he stopped. He was shocked. He was in the middle of saying something, too. In fact, it was ironic. Right as he was about to say how he didn't have anyone to ask out, he was shocked to see someone he could and desperately wanted to ask out. In his defense, he didn't expect to see her in Gravity Falls.

Mabel looked at her Grunkle confused. He had gone rigid. He was frozen in place, his eyes wide open in a look of stunned confusion. Sweat appeared on his forehead, a sign of nervousness. MK looked just as confused as Mabel was. Dipper merely looked at his Grunkle before stating the thought everyone was thinking.

"What is wrong, Grunkle Sans?" He asked in confusion.

Something about how her Grunkle was acting reminded Mabel of something. She had a hunch as to what had made Sans go quiet and still and to see if her hunch was correct, she decided to look at where Sans was looking. As soon as she did, she comprehended everything she saw and immediately, a smile formed on her face that went from ear to ear. In Sans's sight was a middle-aged woman, looking about Sans's age. She was tall for her age and had fair skin that looked like it would sunburn easily. Her eyes were forest green and her hair was white. It wasn't the same coloration as Sans's hair, however. Her hair was more of a silvery gray while Sans had shock white hair. She wore a dress that was a bluish purple and was more like an old fashioned teacher dress than a dress you would wear to a ball.

The lady was buying something from one of the vendors. She pulled out money as a brown-haired boy talked to her. The woman answered the boy whenever he stopped talking and payed the man running the vendor. Immediately, Mabel knew her hunch was correct and wanted to announce it to the world. She swiftly turned to Grunkle Sans with a big, knowing smile on her face.

"I know what's wrong with him." Mabel said slyly, immediately making Sans look at her with nervousness and fear, a completely new experience for the Twins who only saw him as a lazy man who was never scared or uneasy over anything.

"What is it, Mabel?" MK asked, looking a little nervous since the problem could be anything.

"Grunkle Sans has a crush!" Mabel squealed, immediately getting shocked reactions from MK and Dipper.

"What?!" Dipper said in shock.

Sans had always seemed like a man who showed very few emotions and kept most emotions under a tough armor that was hard to break. To be honest, Dipper never would've really guessed that it was because of a crush that Sans stopped. Upon examining Sans's face, however, it became painfully obvious. Sans, in fact, had a little bit of blush from the embarrassment of Mabel announcing it.

MK looked at the lady and immediately smiled a knowing smile. "I know who that is! That's Ms. Toriel! She's a school teacher."

"No way! Sans has a thing for Toriel!" Mabel squealed, making Sans even more flustered, although he didn't exactly say it.

Sans, in response to everything, immediately decided to act like he wasn't looking at Toriel and shrugged as he closed both his eyes.

"like i said, i would've done it already." Sans said when he opened his eyes again, although the blush didn't die down.

"C'mon, Grunkle Sans. Don't hide from your feelings!" Mabel pleaded as Sans looked like he was about to walk away. "Maybe we'll be able to help you!"

Sans sighed as he shook his head before he responded to the three curious kids staring at him. "look, kid. i can't lie to ya. yeah, i do like her," Sans paused as Mabel's smile brightened, MK's smile turned into a soft knowing smile that was between Sans and her, and Dipper's look was one of pure confusion, a look that Sans would've done too if someone talked to him about love. "but, she's way outta my league, even more than ya know. it's like she's a queen and i'm a nobody."

"Don't say that, Grunkle Sans!" Mabel responded with pleading eyes.

"Yeah, Sans. You can't count yourself out of the game if you haven't even tried." MK said as she teamed up with Mabel.

"Grunkle Sans," Dipper finally responded, although he wasn't great at romantic advice. "I have been in your situation. As long as I have a chance with my crush, you have a chance with yours."

Sans looked at the three kids. How did these kids become so much like his brother? He could almost hear his bro joining in, saying something about he believes in Sans. Still, he couldn't believe in himself. In the back of his mind, the lazy part of him was saying that he should give up and just go home but something in Sans that was both familiar and yet foreign wanted him to at least play his hand. The question was, which one would he listen to?

Sans sighed in his indecisiveness before he turned away, starting to walk home. "i just need some time to think."

Mabel and MK looked at each other. The same thought was going through their heads. They were going to match make this situation. In Mabel's mind, it was the perfect opportunity to become a matchmaker. For MK, it was better than just sitting around at the ball, eating the food alone like a crazy person. Either way, they were on the same team.

"We'll need some matchmaker field agents." Mabel said in a dramatic whisper.

"I think it's about time I introduced you to Candy and Grenda." MK said with a sly smile.

"You. Me. Candy and Grenda. My room. 6 o'clock." Mabel said in response.

"I'll bring the paper, graph paper, and over-the-top agent gear." MK answered before the duo winked.

Dipper looked at them in confusion. "Uhhhh... Aren't you guys being over dramatic? I mean, Sans hasn't even said if he's in or not."

"Pfff. I know that he'll eventually say yes, bro-bro. Besides, I'm a great matchmaker and MK will be a great help." Mabel answered, scoffing at her brother.

"I dunno. I mean, what if he says no?" Dipper asked, still looking hesitant.

"Then we'll just have to MAKE it happen." Mabel said in a deep serious voice.

"I don't think that will turn out well." Dipper concluded with a serious look at his sister.

"C'mon, bro! What could possibly go wrong?" Mabel continued walking excitedly as she couldn't wait for when MK and her friends would bring together the perfect couple.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Step 12: Ask her to dance with me..." Dipper chewed on his pen as he looked over his list of steps.

Dipper was in kitchen, writing on a piece of paper on the kitchen table, planning for the Costume Ball that was four days away. He needed to plan every detail, otherwise the rest of the plan would be ruined. Sure, Robbie was going with Wendy but that didn't necessarily mean that they were dancing the entire night with each other. He needed to find a way. An excuse to dance with Wendy.

"Hmmmm... Ask her to dance? No. Too direct and Robbie might overhear. Distract Robbie by stealing something of his? Maybe but there might be police involved. Ask her to hold my hand and trick her into dancing with me... No. Nice try, though." Dipper said to himself as he tried to fit everything into place.

"You've been quiet." Dipper said out loud to his invisible companion. "Any ideas?"

Immediately, the figure of Chara appeared in a chair next to him. She looked frustrated and tired, her hair hanging lazily on her shoulders and her red eyes not as bright as before. She looked over his list and frowned in concentration.

"I'm afraid I know nothing about romantic advice. I know about as much as you." She said with a downcast frown before she smiled a tiny bit. "All I know is that those excuses won't work."

Dipper sighed in defeat. "I know, but what else is there? If I don't come up with something, she will dancing with that emo freak, Robbie."

"Hmmm... Maybe you don't need to do something directly." Chara pondered as she thought through it. "Didn't MK say that one of the volunteer jobs was to shine the spotlights on two people?"

"Huh. Yeah." Dipper said, an idea already coming to his mind. "She did."

"You might already have thought of this by now but MK or Mabel could control the lights." Chara answered with a sly smile. "You could ask them to shine the light on you and Wendy, that way, you're forced to dance in front of a crowd of people."

"Chara! You're a genius!" Dipper exclaimed as he smiled at Chara, who smiled back.

"I have found that peer pressure is the best way to get what you want." Chara concluded. "Society forces Wendy to dance with you and then, she will be sure to see how smooth you are at dancing."

"Now, all I need to do is tell that to Mabel or MK, find a costume, and practice dancing and talking." Dipper said, excitement running through his veins.

"I can help you with the talking and dancing part, that way no one will see you if you fail." Chara said, helpfully.

"Yeah." Dipper said sheepishly as he scratched his arm.

"Well, looks like we have a lot of material to go through. How about I help you with the costume. Tell me, what are you looking for in your costume?" Chara asked, looking at Dipper in curiosity.

"Well, I want something that makes me look adventurous and daring but civilized at the same time. Any ideas?" Dipper said as Chara thought to herself.

"You could be... Oh! You could be Fodo from the book series and later, movies, 'Lord of the Dangerous Jewelry'." Chara declared as Dipper pulled out sheets of paper and held a pencil in his hand as Chara guided his hand.

Chara sketched out Dipper's form lightly as she continued to lead Dipper's hand. Once a decent silhouette of Dipper was on the paper, she started drawing the costume. She quickly sketched out short pants and medieval shoes. She added a simple button-up shirt to the figure that was partially covered by a vest that was green and suspenders. Chara quickly drew a cloak that covered the figures back before finishing the design by drawing a chain necklace that had a ring.

Dipper examined the design. It was nice. The shirt, vest, pants, and suspenders brought about a sense of a simplistic yet fancy lifestyle while the cloak added the adventurous part of costume. The ring around the chain was a clear reference to the ring of powerful deception, which made the wearer invisible but at the chance of being consumed by the ring. Still, Dipper liked the costume.

"I like it." Dipper said to Chara. "Where are we going to get this stuff, though?"

"I believe that there's a costume shop in town. I'm sure Sans wouldn't mind buying that stuff since he buys things for himself all the time." Chara said, bitterly.

"What have you got against Sans, anyway?" Dipper asked, curiously. "I mean, it's not like you've met him before, right?"

A shiver went through Chara's body before she responded. "I just don't like his... personality. His puns are terrible and he never answers questions directly unless his life is on the line."

"Well, that doesn't mean you have to outright despise him." Dipper said, defensively.

"What has he ever done for you?" Chara snapped suddenly, her face giving a cold stare at Dipper. "Open your eyes, Dipper! Did he help you with Oka? Did he rescue you from the Underground? Has he given you romantic advice? No! You know who has done all those things? Me!"

Dipper looked at Chara with a look of realization. That was true. Chara did reassure Dipper that what he said to Oka was true and acceptable. She helped him escape the Underground, relatively unharmed. She gave him romantic advice to help him win Wendy's heart, and where was Sans when those things happened? He was at home. Where was Sans when they were being chased by Stonewolves? He was at a bar, drinking ketchup without a care in the world. Anger began to seep into his thoughts. Where was Sans, all those times they needed him? He always wished he could help them in these situations but that never changed the fact that he wasn't there in the first place. He always let them do dangerous things and he wouldn't even wince. Did Sans even care about them?

The frustration and anger must've shown on Dipper's face, as Chara smiled an understanding smile. "You get my thinking, right? If he really cared about you, why isn't he there when you need him?"

"Y-you're right! He's even hidden secrets from me! He has never helped me a bit." Dipper responded as his voice grew louder. "Maybe he should finally do something for me for once!"

Chara's smile turned into a crazed grin, her red eyes blazing out, as if rekindled by an unseen flame. All of these features were lost on Dipper, who only cared about making his Grunkle pay. As far as Dipper was concerned, he was going to work up the courage to ask Grunkle to give him something for a change.

"Well, looks like my work here is done." Chara said before she disappeared, the glow of her red eyes and grin lasting longer than the rest of her body, making her look like a demented smiley face that faded from view.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was 5:57 and Mabel was waiting eagerly for the matchmaking crew to come. She waited at the front door of the Mystery Shack as she tried to think of ways to convince Sans that this was a good thing.

"C'mon, Grunkle Sans," Mabel said, practicing her speech to a mirror on the wall that didn't reflect anything back. "Everyone has a soulmate and Toriel's the one! You just have to put a little backbone into it!"

Mabel grinned, pretending that she was smiling at Grunkle Sans. She frowned in concentration. That one wouldn't work. It was too cheesy. She smiled again as she thought of a different approach.

"Grunkle Sans, you shouldn't hide from your feelings. Tell her that you like her and she will fall in love with you!" Mabel grinned again until she frowned again.

Still not good enough. Maybe the matchmaking quartet could come up with a way to convince him. Still, she couldn't help but feel downcast at her failed attempts.

"Maybe when I'm alone, I should just focus on getting a date." Mabel said, smiling a little smile as she sat down next to a miniature version of the town with many dolls before she picked up one. "Would I date... Mikay? I'll put that in the maybe pile." Then, Mabel put the miniature MK figurine in a group that stood behind a placard that said, "Maybe."

Suddenly, a knock came to the door. It was a traditional secret society knock code, known only by the name, "Shave and a Haircut". Immediately, Mabel flung open the door and smiled at the three figures.

The first person in the middle of the three girls was the familiar figure of MK. She held a cardboard box that said, "Spy Gear", which was overflowing with paper and graph paper, in one hand and markers in the other. She smiled at Mabel. To the right of MK was a girl in a yellow shirt and blue shorts. She was big and tall and had brown hair that was in a ponytail that fell to her shoulders. She was holding a bag of chips in one hand and a bag that looked like it was filled with clothing in the other. To the left of MK was a girl that had a cerulean shirt and khaki shorts. She was shorter than the other girl and was about as skinny as MK was but seemed to be of Asian descent. She wore glasses and had black hair that fell to her shoulders. She was holding notecards in one hand and glitter markers in the other.

"Hello, girls!" Mabel exclaimed as the girls on her doorstep smiled in response. "Come on in!"

The three girls on the doorstep rushed in the Shack before they stopped and looked at each other. MK provided introductions.

"Mabel, this is Candy," MK said as she pointed towards black-haired girl.

"Hello." Candy responded as she placed a hand up as a sign of acknowledgment.

"And this is Grenda!" MK continued as she pointed towards the brown-haired girl.

"Hi." Grenda said, her gruff voice echoing through the room.

"Guys, this is Mabel! She's here for the summer." MK said, finishing introductions.

"It's nice to meet you guys!" Mabel squealed. "Now, let's go to my room where we can start the mission, should you choose to accept it."

"I want a mission!" Grenda responded as she put up her hand, as if waiting to be called on by a teacher, before she followed Mabel.

"I love missions!" Candy said as she followed Mabel, Grenda, and MK. "Can we make it our mission to break into Mettaton's live show that is coming in a month?"

"Maybe later, Candy, although I like your thinking, girl!" Mabel smiled at her guests as she opened the door to her room. "Today, we are trying to get Sans a date for the Costume Ball."

The girls walked into the room. Mabel's side of the room had girl's magazines and boy band pictures and matchmaking materials while Dipper's side had at at least four cork boards. The one on the wall over his bed had in cut-out letters, "Who's the Author?" Below the words were photos of some of the inhabitants of Gravity Falls, some crossed out in red marker. Next to it was a cork board that had evidence as to who the Author might be, such as the golden hand silhouette on the cover of the book. The next one said, "Mystery in Progress" in big letters and underneath, it said, "What is my Grunkle hiding?" There were multiple pictures of Sans drinking ketchup, locking himself in his room, the extra chair, the locked door that was "Papyrus only," and, at the center of it all, a full-body photo of Grunkle Sans. All of the photos were connected by red string and pins but none of the strings or pins seemed to converge onto one point or photo. Instead, it seemed like an unfinished web. An unfinished mystery.

Needless to say, the girls migrated to Mabel's section of the room as they unpacked their items. MK pulled out the graph paper and paper, revealing earpieces and microphones in the box. Mabel pulled out a whiteboard, which she placed on an easel that she placed in the center of the room for this very moment. On the whiteboard in the top right hand corner was a poorly drawn picture of Sans's head and in the other corner, a picture of Toriel's head. In between them was the title, "Mission 1: Get the Ball Rolling".

"Alright girls!" Mabel said as the girls sat on her bed and watched her every move. "Our mission is to get my Grunkle Sans together with Toriel, a teacher at the new school."

The three girls turned to each other as they nodded in approval. Then, they continued to watch Mabel.

"The first thing on our to-do list is to..." Mabel was writing something on the board in marker before she backed away from the board to show what was written next to the number one. "Come up with an awesome team name! Any ideas?"

"Oh! Oh!" Grenda exclaimed, raising her hand in the air as she bounced on the bed. "How about we make our team name their shipping name!" Grenda then turned towards MK and Candy and made a motion with her hands like making a rainbow. "Ssssooooorrrriiiieeeellll..." She said, slowly.

"Yo! Uh, no offense, Grenda, but I'm not really feeling, 'Soriel'." MK piped up, looking sad at the chance of offending her friend.

"Yeah. I have to agree with MK on this one, Grenda. It was a nice try, though." Candy said, putting a comforting hand on Grenda's shoulder.

"It's fine. I didn't like it when it came out of my mouth!" Grenda exclaimed, smiling at her friends.

"Wait a minute." Candy said as a revelation hit her. "What if our group had an acronym!"

"Great idea, Candy!" Mabel exclaimed, immediately liking the idea of having an acronym. "What should the acronym be?"

The girls thought for a while, hand on their chin as they looked towards the sky. Then, MK jumped up and down on the bed as she raised her hand.

"Yo! I've got it! What about Matchmaking Sans Girls?!" MK announced.

"Oooo! I like it!" Candy said with admiration.

"Yeah! It totally relates to what we are doing. It's better than my acronym." Mabel said as she sighed. "GOATS: Girls On A Turtle Safari."

"Wait," Grenda said, her brow furrowing in concentration. "What's MSG?"

"I don't know, but I've seen the word, 'MSG' on boxes for food before, so it's got to be good!" MK responded.

"Well, that sounds good to me! And I've learned what MSG is!" Grenda yelled.

"Great! That means this meeting is also educational!" Mabel said as she wrote MSG on the board. "Now, the second thing to do is come up with ideas to get Toriel and Sans together!"

"Maybe, we should split up. Two people help Sans and two people help Toriel. We get them dressed in costumes and help them get together." Candy proposed.

"Good thinking, Candy! We should have a leader for each duo!" Mabel added.

"I could be the leader for the Toriel team!" MK yelled. "I met Toriel a while back and her memory is sharp. I'm sure she'd trust us."

"I think Mabel should be the leader for the Sans team, since she is close to him." Grenda proposed, making the room nod in approval.

"Great! Which team do you two want to be on?" Mabel said, pointing at Candy and Grenda.

"I can be on the Toriel team as a field agent." Candy replied as she high-fived MK.

"Sweet! Team Sans!" Grenda said, pumping her fists.

"That's the spirit, girls!" Mabel yelled out as she encouraged the group. "MK, the spy equipment." Mabel said in a suddenly serious manner.

"Right, commander!" MK said, saluting Mabel with a smile as she went to her box and rifled through it until she found the equipment she was looking for. Standing up, she showed a small earpiece that had a button. "This here is a state-of-the-art earpiece. All you have to do is place it in your ear."

Immediately, MK put the earpiece in her ear as a part of the demonstration. "Then, you say, 'on' and the earpiece will turn on. If you want to talk someone through the earpieces, you have to press this button and hold it while you're talking." MK then pressed the only button on the earpiece.

"I have enough for everyone." MK said as she pulled out three more earpieces from the box and gave them to the rest of the group. They all put on their earpieces and then turned them on. Then, MK placed her finger on the button before she spoke. "Like so."

Indeed, MK's voice came through the earpiece, loud and clear. Everybody in the room gushed over the new equipment. They began using it all at once, each one adding their own voice to the conversation. Unfortunately, they were speaking all at once, making every word indistinguishable from the other words. MK took the box that said spy equipment and went downstairs to throw it downstairs. She got the big box just so that it would seem that she had a lot of spy equipment when in reality, they only needed these earpieces. The great thing about these earpieces, however, was the fact that they were magic. The magic infused in the material made it so that anyone could speak to the other people with the earpieces anywhere. Of course, the other girls didn't question it or know the wiser. As far as MK was concerned, she was happy to sweep that little detail under the carpet.

MK was going downstairs with the box when she heard Dipper. He was speaking. Unfortunately, most of it was in a whisper but she couldn't help but wonder who he was speaking to. Was he speaking to himself? Was he speaking to someone in the house? She stopped where she was to look over the railing on the stairs at the kitchen table. Dipper was looking over sheets of paper. No one was with him and yet, he was muttering to himself. Then, he suddenly stopped. However, MK was still worried.

"Dipper, who were you talking to?" MK said plainly, trying to hide the worry in her voice.

Dipper jumped in his seat as he turned towards the curious face of MK. Nervousness washed over his face, although he tried to hide it. It was like a competition of who could hide their true emotions the longest. In truth, MK hoped she would win. It wasn't because she didn't want to show her worry for Dipper. It was something else that even she didn't fully recognize that she wanted to hide.

"M-MK! You scared me!" Dipper stammered as he tried to gain his composure but to no avail. "I-I was just talking to myself. You know, planning... things." Sweat glistened on his forehead, betraying his true nervousness.

MK shook her head as a knowing smile formed. It was truly amazing how similar the Pines family acted whenever they were embarrassed or nervous. Sans would've had the same body posture too if he were nervous or trying to play something off as no big deal. It was truly amazing and humorous at the same time.

Deep down, MK wanted to know what was really going on but she didn't want to be viewed as pushy or annoying. She had another tactic, however. One that had a chance of getting true honesty from Dipper. If she gave perfect honesty, maybe he would give her honest answers. It wasn't a guarantee but she had to try.

MK walked down the stairs in a nonchalant manner, taking her box with her as a reminder of her original mission. Dipper watched her like a hawk, his eyes following her every movement. Then, she sat at the table next to him, putting her box underneath the table. Then, she looked him right in the eyes.

"Yo. Dipper, I'm going to be completely honest with you." MK said, just as nervous as Dipper was at this point. "I'm worried about you. Y-you haven't been yourself lately. I-I mean, you used to be so open with me and now you're so secretive that I didn't even know about your dealings with Oka until Mabel told me."

MK paused for dramatic effect as she stared down at the table, her eyes moving a bit from side to side as she thought of how to phrase what she was going to say next. In a way, this pause gave Dipper time to let the words sink in and think about it. MK let in a deep breath as she prepared to let out her thought that went through her mind ever since they traveled to Mount Ebott. Well, it's a good day to die, MK thought as she finally spoke.

"I mean, you started being secretive after the Mount Ebott trip and on that same trip, you saw me lose my cool. I mean, I dunno, is that the reason why you don't hang out with me very much anymore?" MK didn't dare to look at Dipper's face as she tried to stop tears from welling up in her eyes. "Do you not want to be friends anymore?"

The words echoed around the room, even though MK said the sentence in an almost whispery voice. Sadness was in her voice and she continued to look at the table in shame. There was silence. A silence that MK feared would break. The silence would disappear and Dipper would tell her something. Whether it was heartbreaking or not, it didn't matter. What did matter was whether Dipper would tell her anything about what was going on.

Finally, a relief and dread settled into MK as Dipper finally answered. "N-no. MK, I still want to be friends with you."

"R-really?" MK said as she finally looked Dipper in the eye again.

"Yeah. I've just been busy with figuring out the Author of this book and all that." Dipper answered, guilt in his eyes. "Plus, you head butting Robbie was the best part of my day, that day." A small, friendly smile crossed Dipper's face.

"Yeah... I've been told that I'm hard-headed. Literally." MK responded, blush forming on her face as she smiled back.

"That was a jerk move to bring your mother into it. Robbie deserved it." Dipper replied, his face changing into one of frustration and anger towards Robbie.

"Yeah." MK said with a sigh as her smile fell. "My parents died years ago. My brother and I were adopted but my adoptive parents don't exactly feel like home yet, if you know what I mean."

"Look. I'm sorry if I made you feel like I was avoiding you." Dipper said, looking at her with sincerity. "It's just that there was a lot of events that happened recently that are hard to wrap my head around."

"I can understand that feeling." MK replied, smiling softly as she reminisced to a time long ago. It seemed like yesterday, she met a friend with a purple and blue striped shirt. On that same day, she learned that her friend was different from her and that they were supposed to be enemies. It seemed like yesterday that that same girl lifted her up when she had fallen off the bridge and only held on by her claws. On that same day, MK defended an enemy and defied Undyne. And it was on that same day that her kind was freed and lived peacefully with their old enemy. And all of that happened in one day.

"I forgive you, as long as you forgive me for being a hot-headed emotional freak." MK finally answered as she smiled a teasing smile.

"You're not an emotional freak. If that's what you think you are, then what does that make me?" Dipper asked with a equally teasing smile.

"A great friend." MK answered as she got up and hugged Dipper, startling him.

The hug was short and yet it was a symbol of friendship. Dipper, although startled at first, decided to join in rather than just being hugged. They both smiled and continued to hug until MK pulled away, blush forming across her face from the realization that this was out of her comfort zone. She was known as the energetic fangirl, not the emotional, talk-about-feelings girl and this made her feel uncomfortable.

"W-well," MK stuttered as she scratched the back of her head. "I think I met my emotional garbage quota for today. I better get back with Mabel and the rest before they start thinking I put myself in the garbage."

"Heh... yeah." Dipper answered, embarrassment on his face too as he scratched his arm. "See ya around, MK."

"See ya later, Dipper."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Okay. Time to reiterate the plan." Mabel said, using a teacher's pointer stick to point out dolls of people who were in the town, each placed in a miniature cardboard model of Gravity Falls. MK, Candy, and Grenda listened as their commander pointed out the dolls they had placed as she restated the plan MSG had planned together.

"First, MK and Candy introduce themselves to Toriel." Mabel used the stick to push two figures, both were close in likeness to MK and Candy, towards a doll of Toriel who was near the newly-crafted cardboard box of the new school. "Then, what do you guys say, Candy?"

"We say that we heard rumors of an anonymous guy who wants to ask her out." Candy answered, a large grin on her face.

"Good!" Mabel cheered for Candy. "Then, what do you do after that, MK?"

"Yo! We tell her that we could help her get ready for the ball, just in case the man appears at the Ball." MK replied as she looked down at the model of the town. "Then, we help her choose out an outfit, help her with dancing, help her with anything else dance related, and then tell her to be sure to be there."

"Nice!" Mabel answered before she looked at three dolls at the other side of the model. Two of the dolls were next to each other and they looked like Mabel and Grenda. The third figure looked like Sans. Mabel used her stick to move the two adjacent dolls towards Sans. "Meanwhile, Grenda and I will do the same thing with Sans, without the secrecy, of course. We will teach him how to dance, what pickup lines he could use, what costume to choose, and when he should meet her. Grenda, what will we do when the Ball comes up?"

Grenda perked up as she spoke, Mabel moving the Toriel doll and the Sans doll towards the school. "We will make sure that those two come to the Ball. We will make sure no other man or distractions stop the dance."

"Right!" Mabel cheered again. "Then, when the time comes for the Amorzanite spotlight, we shine it on Sans and Toriel and they will find out that they were made for one another and get married, another victory for the matchmaking crew!"

"I call bridesmaid!" MK blurted out as she raises her hand.

"What?! I call second bridesmaid!" Mabel cried out as she raised her hand too.

"Technically, we could all be bridesmaids if Toriel wants us to be." Candy said, methodically.

"Good thinking, Candy." Grenda replied as the MSG became excited.

"Well, girls, keep these earpieces safe and we'll start Matchmaking tomorrow!" Mabel yelled out as she put up a hand for a high-five. "Team Matchmaking Sans Girls!"

"Assemble!" The rest of the girls responded as they all high-fives each other. It was at that moment that they knew they weren't going to be wavered. They were going to make this plan work. They were going to see Toriel and Sans get together.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was late and the Twins were getting ready for bed when Sans finally confronted Mabel. She was the only person in the room at the time, sitting on her bed as she took out the earpiece. Sans had so many feelings going through his mind that he had to tell her lightly.

"hey kid." Sans said as he entered the room, Mabel turning towards him with a grin.

"Hey Grunkle Sans!" Mabel responded, waving at Sans, even though he was feet away.

"so... i was thinkin' about this 'tori' thing and-" Sans started slowly before he was interrupted.

"Awwww! You even have a cute nickname for her!" Mabel cooed, her head in her hands as she smiled at Sans.

"y-yeah. anyways, what i was trying to say is that i came to a decision about this whole thing." Sans replied, trying to put everything in order.

"Yeah?" Mabel asked, her smile disappearing a bit as she worried about whether he would say yes or no.

"in all honesty, i don't think she would fall in love with a guy like me. i'm afraid that my hopes ain't up about that." Sans could see the anticipation in his great-niece's face and he sighed as he braced himself for the oncoming storm. "that said, that doesn't mean i shouldn't try. i will let ya help me."

"YESSS!" Mabel cheered as she jumped up from her bed. Then, she ran over to Sans to give him a big hug that surprised Sans. Sans smiled as he returned the hug and wrapped his arms around her, his arm under her hair.

"You won't regret this, Sans. I promise!" Mabel said as she looked up at his grey eyes. Her hope, happiness, and glee from her eyes met his eyes, making it hard for his hopes to stay low. Still, he had to get something out.

"my one condition is that you don't force it. if she doesn't like me the same way or i don't feel ready for the ball, please don't force it." Sans said, looking down in admiration at the youthful energetic girl.

"I promise." Mabel replied through the folds of Sans's jacket. Then, she said something else but it was too silent and muffled from the cloth. He smiled a playful smile.

"what was that kid? i don't speak jacket." He responded as he allowed Mabel to pull away from his jacket.

"I said, 'I love you, Grunkle Sans.'" Mabel reiterated as she looked up at Sans in amusement and playfulness.

Sans's breath caught in his throat. Those five words were few but powerful. He tried to hide his shocked look but he couldn't help it. He quickly turned it into a face of admiration and tiredness. He smiled at the girl as he pulled her close. These kids... they act so much like their grandpa. They had their grandpa's kindness, perseverance, bravery, and DETERMINATION. Dipper had his grandpa's questioning, ambitious nature while Mabel had his playful, energetic nature. It was an amazing likeness those two had and if they were combined, their personality would be that of his bro.

Still, those five words echoed in his head. How had he managed to be lovable to these kids? What had he done to gain their love? In Sans's mind, he did nothing but nonetheless, Mabel said it and she meant it. And these kids had snuck their way into his heart too.

"i love ya too, kid." He finally replied as he brought Mabel deeper into the smothering hug, to which she giggled and laughed. "i love ya too."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Candy. Do you read me?" MK whispered, her hand to her ear as she talked through the earpiece.

It was the middle of the morning the next day and MK was hiding behind the city hall near the center of town. MK and Candy decided that they would meet in the center of town and decide what to do. Of course, they were spies and so they decided to hide in shadows and talk through their earpieces. This was especially crucial, since Toriel was in the town square, talking with a group of children who were presumably her students.

MK waited for a moment for a response as she looked at Toriel from around the corner. She was laughing from a joke one of the children said and complimented their great sense of humor. MK decided to try and reach Candy again.

"Candy." She whispered. "Do you hear me?"

"I hear you loud and clear." Candy's voice came from the earpiece, causing a sigh of relief to come from MK.

"Where are you hiding?" MK asked, looking around for any sign of Candy amidst the crowd and buildings.

"Next to the Natural History Museum." Candy answered. "Where are you?"

"City Hall, over." MK whispered as she looked around the corner again, this time looking for Candy.

MK scanned the Natural History Museum until she caught sight of Candy. Candy was hiding behind one of the columns that decorated the museum. Luckily, City Hall and the Natural History Museum were not far from each other. MK watched as Candy caught sight of her, too, and winked at her before they both hid out of sight of each other.

"Do you see the target?" MK asked through the earpieces as she turned her gaze towards Toriel, once more.

"Affirmative. Target located." Candy responded as her head peaked out of her hiding place and looked at Toriel too. "Shall we make contact?"

"Affirmative. Mission: Matchmaker, Step One is a go. I repeat, making contact now." MK said as she started to move out of her hiding place.

As MK moved through the town square, she watched from the corner of her eye as Candy started to move towards Toriel too. They would converge upon their target at the same time. Right now, Toriel was watching as some younger kids were playing tag and the older kids couldn't help but to join in. Toriel was laughing at the sight when MK and Candy approached her.

"Hello, Ms. Toriel." MK said as Toriel turned towards the young girl in the monster poncho.

"Why, hello, my child." Toriel replied as she smiled a friendly smile at MK. Then, Toriel opened her eyes as she recognized MK. "Young MK! Is that you?"

"Yup. That's me!" MK answered as she motioned to Candy. "This is my friend!"

"Hi. My name is Candy." Candy said with a smile as she put out her hand for a handshake. Toriel took the handshake with a smile.

"Nice to meet you, Candy." Toriel smiled brightly. "My name's Toriel, although I'm sure you already knew that."

"It is nice to meet you, Ms. Toriel." Candy said politely.

"Please, my child, just call me Toriel." Toriel answered. "If you don't mind me asking, what brings you to visit me? Did you just want to see me again?"

"Well, that was part of it." MK answered truthfully as she out her hands behind her back and looked down at her feet.

"You see, Toriel, we heard a rumor that someone wanted to ask you out to the Costume Ball." Candy replied with a smile.

Toriel seemed taken aback by this. She looked at the children in utter disbelief and she tried to discern if this was just a prank or joke. The kids seemed genuine, though, and they seemed excited for her.

"Me? Someone wants to ask a silly ol' teacher?" Toriel responded, clearly still trying to process the sentence.

"Yup! They would ask you out but they have two cold feet." MK replied as she got more excited.

"So, they wanted us to ask you if you would meet him at the Ball." Candy said as the two kids tried to hide their excitement.

"Well, I don't even know what to wear! Oh, and it's been such a long time since I have waltzed. I am a bit rusty." Toriel answered as she thought through the proposal.

"We can help you!" MK said as she winked at Candy. Everything was going according to plan.

"You will help me? Why, you kids are too kind." Toriel smiled at the kids, although she was a little uneasy with the idea of going to the dance when there was so much she wasn't planned for.

"In fact, we can start helping you now." Candy replies as she took Toriel's hand and started pulling her towards Toriel's new house. Toriel laughed as she realized how ambitious these kids were.

"Right now?" Toriel playfully asked as MK started pulling her too. "Alright then."

The kids pulled square as Toriel tried to compute what had just happened. Maybe it was someone she would love. Of course, it would be great if it wasn't Asgore. She wasn't going to date her ex. She wasn't going to date a murderer. Still, she couldn't help but wonder about the mysterious man who wanted to ask her out but couldn't.

"I wonder if the man is nice." She pondered out loud as she thought. She thought of possibilities of who it could be but she hadn't been in this small town long enough to know everyone. Hopefully, it was someone nice and someone she would get along with. Of course, that sometimes wasn't the case and she might just get a man who murders six people, all of which she had been friends with and treated them as her children. Then, as she was pulled into her house by the two girls of Team Toriel, another thing occurred to her. Another possibility.

"...I wonder if I know him..."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Alright, Grenda." Mabel announced as they walked through the town square at noon. "We have to get supplies for our side of the deal. We need fabric and glitter and trim and a couple of masks."

"Yeah." Grenda nodded, agreeing. "I talked with the other group through the earpiece and they managed to get in contact with Toriel and all things are going according to plan!"

"Alright, I'll get one half of the list and you get the other." Mabel said as she ripped the list in half and gave one half to Grenda and kept the other one for herself.

"Right. That way we can spend time training Sans." Grenda replied as she looked over the list. "I'll contact you when I'm done. See ya."

"See ya!" Mabel yelled out as Grenda ran off towards the first store she was going to.

Mabel looked over her half of the list. Glitter, suit, tie, shoes, list of Toriel's interests from the Toriel Team. The mall seemed to be the prime spot to buy these items and she decided to go there with a DETERMINATION to find each item. She walked through the semi-busy town center and continued to look at the list, only half looking at the road and those in front of her. If she hadn't been so busy, maybe she would've noticed something or someone unusual.

Someone tapped Mabel on the shoulder, somewhat scaring Mabel as she heard a male voice come from behind her.

"Hey. You're new here, right?" Mabel spun around to be met by a tall boy.

The boy had light brown hair which was partially hidden by a worn-out or aged cowboy hat on his head. He wore a red shirt and beige shorts and, strangely, didn't wear anything on his feet. Around his waist was a gun that was in a holster that was held in place by a belt. Even stranger was the fact that his eyes were a golden sunshine-yellow color. Still, Mabel couldn't help but immediately think that this boy was handsome. Maybe he was the special someone she was holding out for.

And right then, a summer romance was born.

Mabel, stunned, noticed that she was staring too intently at him and that he was somewhat nervous and panicked, as he didn't know how to react. Immediately, she decided to make the first move to make sure her first summer crush didn't flop right away.

"Hi! I'm Mabel! I like your eyes! They're the color of dandelions!" Mabel shouted as she let out every thought that ran through her mind as she tried to do her version of flirting.

The boy seemed stunned at first until he smiled and, closing his eyes, chuckled a bit before opening his eyes and finally speaking. "And if you wish on them, you might get your wish."

"Woah! I didn't know your eyes have the magical powers of a dandelion!" Mabel exclaimed as she immediately tried to hide the fact that she wanted to wish on his eyes that he would be her's.

"Yeah. You never know what could happen because of your eye color." He said as he smiled a friendly smile at Mabel and extended his hand for a handshake. "Alex Tolleson, at your service, Mabel."

"Such a gentleman!" Mabel remarked as she shook hands with Alex. "What made you want to talk with me?"

"I haven't seen you around Gravity Falls before. It's my hometown, y'know. I go to Toriel's school, but she's been giving me private lessons ever since the school finished construction. Anyway, everyone basically knows everyone here so, when someone sees someone they don't recognize, it must be someone new here or a tourist." Alex answered, looking towards the new school before he turned to Mabel. "I came here to meet you because I like your red sweater."

"Awww... Thanks!" Mabel answered as she looked down at her red heart-covered Matchmaker sweater that she had made just for an occasion where matchmaking was necessary. "I like your hat! It makes you look like a sheriff!"

"Oh. That's because I am the sheriff and I have to make sure troublemakers like you don't break the laws of physics with your bouncing-off-the-wall nature." Alex said with a playful grin as Mabel giggled. Then, he took off his cowboy hat, revealing his messy combover hair underneath, and looked at with a more serious look. "Just kidding. This hat belonged to my grandpa. He disappeared years ago when he was 25 years old. A friend of mine found the hat and gun and brought it back to my family and now, it is mine."

"Cool! I mean, not-so-cool about your grandpa disappearing but that's cool how you have his hat and gun!" Mabel replied as she tried not to hurt his feelings.

"Well, he would've wanted me to have it." Alex responded as he put the hat back on his head. "Anyways, what are you doing right now?"

"Oh! Well, I have to buy this stuff for my friends. It shouldn't take too long if I speed walk through the mall." Mabel answered, trying to calculate how long it would take and how long it was taking Grenda.

"If you want to, I can help you." Alex offered with a small grin.

"Really?!" Mabel said in disbelief as her wish was coming true, in her mind.

"Of course! It's my pleasure!" Alex said as he offered his hand so that he could lead her.

"Thanks, Alex!" Mabel replied as he started to pull her towards the mall with the list at hand.

"Don't mention it!" Alex responded as he continued to lead the way. "So, did you move here?"

"Nope! My Great-Uncle Sans invited us to stay over the summer here in Gravity Falls!" Mabel said as she giggled a little bit afterwards.

Alex didn't join her. He seemed to think about something or was caught in thought. What was he thinking about? Did it have something to do with how long they were staying or with who they were staying with?

They finally reached the mall and Alex let go of Mabel's hand. They reached the door, Alex leading the way until he got out of the way of the doors and gestured for Mabel to go in first.

"Be my guest." He said as he bowed his head a little.

"Thanks, Alex." Mabel replied as she went through the door and waited for Alex once they were inside.

"Alright! What are we looking for?" Alex asked, looking at Mabel as she read the list.

"Glitter. Suit. Tie. Fancy shoes." Mabel looked up from the list as she looked at Alex. "Do you know where I can get that stuff?"

"Glitter can be found again the craft store over there." Alex answered, pointing towards a shop to the right of them called, "Glitter and Goop".

"Alright!" Mabel cheered as she ran towards the shop with enthusiasm with Alex in tow.

The shop wasn't a misnomer, for inside was bags upon bags and baskets upon baskets filled with different colored glitter. There was also construction paper and this brand called, "Goop Glue" along with other crafting materials for cards, but there was mostly glitter.

"What color do you think will go with blue. Red, orange, or just blue?" Mabel asked Alex as she held three vials containing glitter of the same three colors she mentioned.

"I think a light blue would be nice." He responded as he brought a light blue vial of glitter. "They're also buy one, get one free."

"Sweet!" Mabel squealed as she took the vial from Alex and took another vial of the same color and went to the register. She took out some money from her pocket and paid for the vials of glitter before she put them in a bag and rejoined Alex.

"What's next on the list, Maven?" He said, looking at her in curiosity.

"It's Mabel, although I love the name Maven!" Mabel corrected as she giggled.

Alex blushed in embarrassment as he scratched the back of his head. "Yeah. I'm not good with names. Sorry."

"It's okay! I'll pretend nothing happened! Did something happen? I don't remember what happened?!" Mabel goofed off as she pretended to forget what she heard. She took pleasure in the fact that Alex laughed an honest laugh at the joke. "Now, all we need is a suit, some fancy shoes to go with the suit, and a tie."

"I think that's on the upper floor. Let's go up the escalator." Alex said as Mabel immediately dashed to the escalators and rode them with Alex.

As they were going up at a slow pace, Mabel decided to try her luck and get to know her summer romance. "So, Alex. Is that a nickname or is it just your name? I mean, I like Alex..."

"I get it." Alex replied. "Its short for Alexander."

"What? Your name is Alexander? That's my favorite guy name! We are totally perfect for each other!" Mabel replied with her usual flirting style.

Alex laughed as they neared the top of the escalator. "I like your enthusiasm!" He said as he got off the escalator and led Mabel to the fancy suit store.

Immediately, Mabel found the right suit, tie, and shoes with the help of Alex as they goofed off a little. Alex put on a tie that was yellow and approached Mabel, who wore a bow tie. They both laughed before putting the ties back where they found them. Then, Mabel put on a fake mustache and twirled it as if she were a villain in a movie. Alex then pretended to defeat her, as she threw the mustache up in defeat.

Once they left with what they needed, the store was a mess and the cashier with light brown hair dropped his fake smile as he mumbled. "I wasn't paid enough to deal with this when I was working for Mettaton when I was 19. I wasn't paid enough to deal with this stuff as a bus driver. I don't know why I thought I would get paid enough to deal with this stuff now."

Alex and Mabel left the mall, smiling and laughing at the small jokes they made. In Mabel's mind, she was doing great. She got all the resources she needed for the group, was ready to train Sans, and now she had a summer romance to ask to go to the Ball with. Everything was picture perfect. Then, a voice came from the earpiece.

"Grenda to Mabel." Mabel stopped, despite Alex's confused look, and listened to Grenda. "I have all the items and am ready to start the training, over."

Mabel looked at Alex before she shrugged her shoulders awkwardly. "Sorry. I have an earpiece in my ear and I have to answer it." Mabel explained before she put a finger to the earpiece and answered. "I read you loud and clear. I have the items too and I am ready to meet you at the Shack, over."

"Meet you there, over." Grenda responded, sounding absolutely ready to start the training.

"So, what are you doing with this stuff, anyways?" Alex asked in curiosity.

"Oh! We're helping out a friend. He needs items for the Costume Ball." Mabel responded, happily.

"That's on Friday, right? And today's Wednesday." Alex calculated as Mabel nodded.

"Yup! My friends and I are being matchmakers!" Mabel cheered excitedly.

Alex perked up at the sound of "matchmaker" and took immediate interest. "Matchmaking, huh? I am good at matchmaking. Who are you trying to get together?" He asked.

"We're trying to get Toriel and Sans together!" Mabel replied as she looked at Alex.

Alex smiled a little, although his smile wasn't very genuine. Mabel didn't notice, however, and instead smiled back. "So... Toriel and Sans, huh?" Alex said, restating the obvious.

"Yup!" Mabel said as she looked down at her wrist before looking up in remorse. "I'm sorry, Alex. I have to go. Grenda and I are going to start training Sans."

"Already?" Alex whined, realizing that the time with Mabel went fast. "Alright. I guess I'll see you around."

Mabel started walking towards the Shack backwards as she looked at Alex with a teasing smile and put up her arm and showed him her wrist. "I may not have a watch but I'll be WATCH-ing for you!"

Alex chuckled a little before he waved to Mabel who started running to the Shack. Alex's smile faded as he looked down at his feet. Sans and Toriel? Why wasn't it Toriel and Asgore? He sighed before coming to the realization that he would have to confront his frenemy about it. Well, at least he didn't hate puns.

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MK looked up at the figure in amazement, her eyes boggled at the sight of such beauty. Candy gasped when she came into the room, dropping her candy that she was eating. They both stared for a while before they realized the same thing and turned away from the sight only for a moment to nod at each other in acknowledgement.

"I-it's too much, isn't it?" Toriel's voice came from the figure and the nervousness she felt made her voice waver. "I knew it was too much. I shouldn't have chosen such a ridiculous-"

"You're beautiful." Candy finally whispered out in awestruck amazement, immediately silencing Toriel's worries.

"R-really?" Toriel asked with a little uncertainty.

"I think that costume is perfect!" MK replied with a yell. "I mean, oh my gosh! You look like a princess!"

"A princess of the cosmos." Candy said, still in a shocked manner, as she grabbed a little bit of the fabric of the dress Toriel was wearing and stroked it.

"Do you think he would like it?" Toriel asked.

"Whoever's asking you out to the Ball will be completely enamored." MK said with absolute confidence. "I think that you are ready for the Costume Ball!"

"What?!" Toriel said, unsure how to feel about her abilities. "But my child, you only taught me how to waltz and which costume to wear. What if I have to do something that you didn't teach me?"

"Toriel, you are a shining star. You are a star princess. You are going to do great!" Candy responded, patting Toriel on the back.

"Just remember that if he truly loves you, he won't care about whether you fail or not." MK said, reassuring Toriel a bit more.

"T-thank you, my children. You have done so much for me, but what if he never comes?" Toriel asked, trying to hide her nervousness and fear under her usual calm attitude.

"Trust me, we will let you know if he doesn't." MK said.

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"so, uh, i was wondering, tori, if ya would want to see me again, a FEMUR times." Sans looked at his own reflection as he gave his best smile he could before his smile dissipated into a frown.

That wasn't good enough for her, he decided. Toriel was a queen. She deserved far better in terms of a pun. In fact, she deserved better, period. She deserved more than an old man with nothing more but a few skeleton puns and a jacket. She was kind and sweet and Sans considered himself the opposite of kind and sweet. Still, the least he could do was try, for Mabel's sake. Mabel wanted him to try and he was going to try until he didn't want to anymore. Plus, Mabel would come back to the Shack to train him any second now. He smiled again, a small honest smile with blush on his cheeks, before he started again.

"TIBIA honest, i didn't think ya would come and dance with me." He chuckled a little before his smile fell again. None of these puns were good. They weren't worthy of a queen.

Sans was about to start another one when a knock came from his door. He sighed before he turned away from the mirror in his room and went to the door.

"who's there?" Sans said with a tired look in his eyes, a small smile on his face.

"It's me, Dipper." Dipper's voice came through the door. It was easy to tell, since he sounded nervous but DETERMINED at the same time. Only Sans's only Great-Nephew had the skill to sound unsure of himself and yet sure of himself at the same time.

Sans opened the door slightly, so Dipper couldn't see the terrible, colorless mess that was his room. Dipper looked a little sleepy, bags under his eyes and some strands of hair going all over the place underneath his cap. Still, he looked Sans right in the eye with a frown.

"you look tired, kid. no sleep?" Sans asked, trying to not sound too much like he was probing.

"I... just had a nightmare last night. I'm fine." Dipper responded, yawning a big yawn before continuing. "Anyways, I was wondering if I could borrow some money to get a costume for the Ball."

"well, sure, kiddo." Sans replied with a small smile before he reached into his right pocket, and then his left before finding $50 and giving it to Dipper. "just, don't use all of it."

Dipper took the money, looked at it before looking at Sans with a sleepy, grateful smile. "Thank you, Grunkle Sans."

"don't mention it, kid. i want ya to have a fun time at the ball. you never know what will happen there." Sans responded with a wink before Dipper walked away from the door with a smile.

Sans shut the door before he sighed and his smile was gone again. Dipper was getting worse by the minute. Maybe he was becoming more like Sans, dealing with depression that would never really go away. Of course, Dipper could just have had a really bad nightmare and nothing else. Maybe it was just a one-time thing. Sans could only hope. After all, at the end of the day, Sans could do nothing except wait and see.

He heard the front door open and close as Dipper left the house to buy his costume. Sans stood up straight from his leaning position as he pondered as to what to do. He didn't feel like practicing his puns. They weren't good enough. He would just have to wait until Mabel came and helped him. He couldn't practice anything else as he didn't know how to do anything else. This sent him into a spiral of despair. What could he do in this time? Only one thing came to mind in his tired emotional state.

Sleep. A nap on the worn-out red couch in the living room downstairs. The thing about Sans was that when he couldn't think of anything to do, he would sleep. If he had to encounter his inner demons, he would hide from them in his sleep. If he felt like garbage or just felt depressed in general, he would sleep. In other words, he slept a lot. Everyday, even. Of course, his great-niece and nephew changed all this. He didn't sleep all day or mourn in silence like he usually did. Rather, they brought a brightness to his life. It was like he became color blind when his brother left and now that the Pines Twins were here, he could see bright colors that he hadn't seen in a long while and he could feel the energy everywhere.

Sans smiled to himself as he opened the door to go downstairs. Geez. He hadn't had a conversation in his head like that since his bro left. These kids really were bringing out the best in him. Sans walked down the stairs in his usual lazy fashion. Before he sat down on the couch, he took off his coat and put it on the armrest of the couch, leaving him only in his white short-sleeved shirt that he always wore underneath. Then, he reclined on the couch, taking up the whole space. Before he knew it, he had nodded off into a light slumber.

Of course, it only took him a minute to nap and after a minute or two, a knock came from the door of the Shack part of the house. Sans, who was a light sleeper by default, opened his eyes in surprise and curiosity. He sat up straight as he rubbed his right eye. He got up, put on his coat, and went to the door as another set of knocks assaulted the door.

To his surprise, he found standing at his door a boy that he had come to know as Alex. Sans wished to say that he liked Alex but "like" was a strong word. It was more, he tolerated Alex's presence and Alex tolerated him. Still, this didn't stop Sans from having a disappointed and aggravated face for a split second.

"Hey, Sans. Long time no see." Alex said, putting on a smile that was merely a ruse in front of the customers. "Have you grown a FEMUR inches?"

Sans couldn't help but snort a little at the pun, even though he was supposed to put on a tough face. Like he said, he tolerated Alex. That didn't mean Sans didn't respect him or his puns.

"well, according to my JUDGE-ment, i'm about the same height." Sans replied, a cunning and snarky smile on his face. "but please, don't let that stop you from coming in."

Sans got out of the way of Alex as he came into the main house, the two acting like friends in front of the guests in the shop. Sans closed the door softly before turning towards Alex who had seated himself on the couch. Sans's look was one of suspicion and he searched Alex's eyes and, unsurprisingly for Sans, Alex did the same thing.

"alright, kid. you came here to talk to me about something, so TALK." Sans said, a note of hostility and frustration in his voice. Unfortunately, Alex and Sans's bond was one of mistrust and so, neither one of them were exactly friendly to one another.

"A few minutes ago, I met your great-niece." Alex replied bluntly, unfazed by the hostility in Sans's voice. "She's nice and kind. It's just that she said something about this little mission of getting Toriel and you together."

Sans sighed, mentally, in relief. At least Mabel wasn't in trouble.

"I have no clue if you want to or not. But I have one thing to say. Don't. I already have a dad, even though Toriel left him. I don't want you complicating things." Alex replied rather bluntly, looking at Sans with an accusing look.

Sans was silent as he looked at Alex with a blank face as if lost in thought. Alex half expected for Sans to lash out at him for putting it that bluntly. Alex was caught off guard, thought, when Sans started to laugh hysterically.

"for a second there, kid, i thought we were going to be talking about something serious." Sans finally said through his fits of laughter.

"Sans!" Alex yelled, getting agitated and furious at Sans's laughter. "This is serious to me!"

"and what i'm saying, kid, is that you shouldn't get your hat in a twist over that." Sans replied calmly, somewhat passive aggressively.

"And why's that?" Alex said, annoyed and confused.

"look, kid." Sans replied, calm and collected. "i can tell ya that i do like tori. the thing that you assume is that i'm the person that called for this whole matchmaker treatment. the fact is that mabel came up with that idea and i decided to play along. i know i'm outta tori's league but ya can't turn off love like that. i might as well act on that love and give it all i got."

Sans somewhat caught himself off guard with saying "love". He loved lots of things. He loved naps and ketchup, but he loved his Bro too and Toriel was in the same tier as his Bro. Still, he found that he loved and trusted very few people other than his family. As far as he knew, Tori was the only person that he trusted heart and soul and wasn't blood related... well, there of course were... exceptions to that statement too. Frisk came to be an example of that over the years as they came to gain a true father-daughter relationship.

"in short, alexander, you have nothin' to worry about. i only went through with it because hey. how long will i have these kids? it may be the start of summer but it will go by quick. let mabel have her fun." Sans said, brushing off unbelieving gaze of Alex as he closed his eyes. Then, he opened them, showing concerned, threatening eyes. "That being said, Alex, if I give this a chance, then you have to give this a chance. Remember, Toriel has a say in this thing too. If she chooses me, don't blame me because SHE made the choice. Don't blame me if it ruins your perfect match. YOU GOT THAT?"

"Heh. I had a feeling that this was just Mabel being herself, but I had to make sure. But you really shouldn't be threatening me Sans. You have a lot more than a skeleton in your closet, after all. I know it's her decision. I'm a jerk, but I'm not stupid. No need to give me a Bad Time over it. Just do me a favor and keep an eye on them. There are a lot of dangerous people around here. Don't want them dying and... well, ya know." Alex responded.

"i'm keeping' an eye on 'em, even if they don't think i am. i've already lost too many people." Sans replied, his voice back to its normal lazy tone and yet full of sorrow and remorse at the same time. "anyways, you better go back to toriel. she'd want ya safe."

"Thanks Sans. See ya around." Alex replied, somewhat more relaxed than before.

Alex stood up and walked to the door. The exit. Sans didn't even bother standing up or even turning his head to watch Alex leave. When he heard the door open, footsteps, and then the door close, he breathed a sigh of relief as a small smirk appeared on his face

Sans didn't know what to think about that kid. If Alex weren't so much like... well, Sans, maybe they could've been good friends. Unfortunately, life wasn't that way. It never was. Unfortunate circumstances had made it impossible for him to ever become friends with Alex. The worst part of it was that he wished he could tell Alex something but he wouldn't believe him. Nobody would. Unless someone were to believe him, he didn't mind the looks of mistrust from Alex. Still, he felt like... what was that character from that movie? The one who was a cartoon world in a live-action world? Oh well. It didn't matter.

Sans felt a nap coming on, his thoughts melting away into the deep lull of sleep. Unable to take off his coat before falling under sleep's clutches, he instead yawned and laid on the couch, taking up most of it. It reminded him of another time. A simpler time. A time where his baby Bro fell asleep on his belly and the young, energetic Sans looked at him in admiration and joy, restless to get up and yet, unwilling to wake up his brother. A time when a twelve-year-old girl would lay on his belly, watching him sleep for a while before she fell asleep herself, the two lounging through the day, only to wake up and find a red blanket carefully placed on them.

And above all, a time when two tiny kids were lulled to sleep on his belly, Sans tiredly looking at them in fascination, wonder, and admiration, before he zipped the coat he wore around the kids to act as a blanket, the trio zipped and bundled in the blue coat's grasp as Sans joined the two kids in a sound sleep.

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It was Thursday and Sans had already accomplished what puns to use and how to approach Tori without being awkward the night before. The nap the night before had cleared his head of every doubt he had about approaching Tori. Today, Sans wished he felt the same relief. A bout of nightmares had wracked his thoughts and he didn't feel good enough to do anything other than to try and sleep off the depression.

Fortunately for Mabel, Sans's will was tough enough to resist the impulse to sleep the entire day away. It was the day before the Ball and there was a lot of planning to do from all fronts. Mabel and Candy had decided to work together to get Sans ready to dance, sweet talk Toriel, and have a dapper costume since Toriel was already good at dancing and already had a good costume. Grenda and MK were getting ready themselves, getting costumes for themselves together since Candy and Mabel were planning on getting one the day of. Dipper and, to an extent, Chara, had to work on dancing practice in his room with the new costume on, a hard task due to tripping on the cloak but Chara was a surprisingly good dancing instructor with constructive criticism and would often catch Dipper with her unexpectedly great dexterity.

It was 10 AM when Candy arrived at the Mystery Shack with bags and bags of costumes that she had lying around her house from Costume Balls past. She mainly chose masks and other accessories, as Sans probably would prefer not to be in a dress. Then, Mabel and Candy taught which puns to use and what not to do when approaching her. Now, they were at the final two checks: costume and dancing.

"Alright, Sans!" Mabel announced to Sans in the living room as he lounged on the couch. "Time to choose a costume, Sans!"

"We have plenty of masks and props." Candy commented with a smile as she pulled out three masks. "There's a 'Phantom of the Opera' mask, a dragon mask, and my personal favorite, a Día de los Muertos-esque skeleton mask."

Candy showed the skeleton mask to Sans. It had green semi-circles outline the eye sockets along with dots of color randomly put into the skeleton's form. Sans chuckled under his breath. He hated to be picky. The features were wrong. Alas, they could not be fixed.

"kid, can't we just start with dancing? i can't decide." Sans responded with a sigh.

"Sure! That's fine!" Mabel said, hardly offended. Instead, she went into a backpack that Candy brought and took out a big folded piece of paper. She unfolded it and put it on the floor. The paper had footprints, showing how to do the waltz with easy to follow instructions.

Of course, to Sans, it looked like a nightmare. He had never danced before. He had come from a family of people that just didn't date, let alone dance. The only exception was his mother and maybe his brother. Now, Sans would never know if his brother was a dancer. He was going to have to set that all aside and dance.

"Candy, will you help demonstrate with me?" Mabel asked as Sans continued to look at the pattern on the floor.

"Of course, Mabel." Candy said with a smile. "You can lead."

Mabel smiled as the two ladies got into position on the map of steps. Mabel was on one color and Candy was on another. Mabel put her left hand out to the side and Candy grasped it with her right hand. Candy put her left hand on Mabel's shoulder and Mabel put her right hand on Candy's side, around the waist.

"Now, watch Mabel's footing, form, and speed." Candy looked over at Sans temporarily. "The way she'll be dancing is the way you will be."

The two girls started dancing and Sans's mind started doing what he did best: he analyzed the situation. The dance was relatively simple. They always were looking at each other and they always held onto each other, never letting go for a second, even if one of the girls messed up and stumbled a little, the two laughing at each others' mistakes. Mabel seemed to be the leader, leading Candy around the footing map. It seemed that they were slowly spinning in a circle while they were rotating around the room. Neither one of them were going too fast or too slow. Their postures were straight and full of confidence, even as they messed up occasionally. It was beautiful.

"Then, after you master that, you can get more complicated." Mabel said with confidence as the two continued to dance.

They changed the pattern as Mabel lifted up her arm to make a curve towards Candy. Candy let go of Mabel's shoulder but held onto Mabel's right hand. The two dancers broke the rhythm of the waltz but that was immediately made up for as Candy spun once around underneath her and Mabel's hands. It was graceful as Mabel quickly pulled Candy back towards her and the two went back to their normal position.

They didn't stop there, however, as Mabel made the duo go faster until eventually, she stopped suddenly and her left hand let go of Candy's waist and Candy's right hand let go of Mabel. It seemed as though Mabel had swung Candy in front of her, the two only held together by their two hands that were above them slightly and between them. The both faced the same way, and yet they looked at each other happily.

Then, Mabel pulled their joined hands towards her slightly. Candy nodded slightly as she spun one last time into Mabel's arms. Candy then leaned back as Mabel held onto her with her right arm. She kept her left arm up in the air until she put it under Candy's body and stayed in place for a while until the duo stood up straight and looked at Sans.

Sans was dumbfounded. These girls sure knew how to waltz. It was one of those dances where it was elegant and yet, it seemed simple. Still, Sans found it quite hard to believe that he had to master that. Problem one was that he had never danced before. Problem number two was that Sans might have two left feet. He didn't know because he never tried. He shook his head as he cleared his head.

"you expect me to master that?" He said with a sly smirk at the girls.

"Oh, c'mon Grunkle Sans! We know you can do it!" Mabel responded, encouragingly.

"All you have to do is be flexible. You have to be like water and relax. Just go where the music and other dancer takes you." Candy said in a meditative voice. "That's just the art of a waltz."

"Yeah! You just have to know the basics first." Mabel replied as she took both of Sans's hands and pulled him up to his feet, startling him. "You have to learn the base dance first before you add anything to it."

"ok. what do you want me to do?" Sans answered with a conceding expression.

"Just follow the foot work. Pretend you have a partner." Candy answered, showing the color that Mabel followed throughout the entire dance.

Sans sighed as he put his right foot in its proper spot and did the same with the left foot. He put his hands out in front of him, as if he were holding onto a partner. Then, he took his first step of the waltz and then his second. Then, on his third step, he stumbled. If anyone thought it was impossible to stumble during a waltz, Sans managed to find a way because he stumbled a few steps before regaining his footing and continuing.

"Maybe you need a partner for stability." Mabel replied, still as positive as ever as she came up to Sans and offered to dance with him for practice sake.

This made it worse. Sans would now not only stumble over his own feet but also Mabel's feet too. Mabel's spirit was unbreakable and positive but Sans's spirit... not so much. With every stumble, Sans's confidence decreased. Toriel deserved someone who could actually dance. Stumble. Toriel deserved someone who could tell a decent joke. Stumble. Toriel deserved someone who wasn't lazy. Stumble. Toriel deserved someone who could actually keep his promises. Stumble. Toriel deserved more. Stumble. Toriel deserved more than a washed-up emotional mess of a man. Stumble. Maybe he should get out of her life entirely. Just give up like he gave up on everything else. After all, nothing was going well.

Then, Sans felt his legs come out from under him after lifting his feet to try and make the next step. He had tripped on Mabel's foot and now, he was falling to the ground. He fell on his stomach, hard. He was sprawled on the floor, groaning from the shock and pain, his eyes closed. He coughed into his hand and as he tried to get up using his arms, slowly, he opened his eyes and looked as his hand. It took him a while to process but when it did, shock came to his eyes. On his hand was some red fluid. He quickly wiped his mouth with his sleeve and he wiped his hand on the front of his jacket. The blow didn't kill him but he couldn't guarantee, now, that the next one would be as harmless.

"Sans! Are you okay?" Mabel cried out as she pulled Sans to his feet. "Don't worry! You'll eventually stop tripping! All you need to do is practice and-"

"it's no use." The soft spoken words echoed throughout the room as Mabel and Candy processed their meaning.

"B-but Grunkle Sans. W-what do you mean?!" Mabel exclaimed, a frown on her face as she looked at Sans with a heart-broken expression.

"i mean it's over, kid. if tori and i ever got together, it would be just like my dancing. she would be perfect and i would mess up everything." Sans replied, a rejected and forlorn expression on his face as he looked at Mabel.

"But Mr. Sans. You can't give up that easily." Candy said as she tried to ease the situation but to no avail.

"i'm sorry, kids. i promised to give it a shot and i gave it a chance." Sans started to go up to his room, his back towards the kids as they followed him, trying to persuade him to come back. "you kids have to respect my decision and i have decided that tori is too good for me. i'm sorry. i really wanted it to work."

Sans entered opened the door to his room and closed it, stopping the girls outside. Both were devastated. They planned everything with every detail and yet they never planned for this.

"What do we do now?" Candy half-whispered to Mabel.

"I-I... I don't know." Mabel answered truthfully, walking away from the door with a sad look on her face. "I thought everything would go fine. How could it end like this?"

Candy patted Mabel's back sympathetically. "Don't worry Mabel. You are still a great matchmaker. You can get ready for the Ball by getting a date." Candy suggested as she motioned towards the door to the outside world.

"I'm sorry, Candy. I'm not in the mood." Mabel said as she walked with a slouched posture towards her room, knocking only to see if Dipper was still practicing.

"I'm coming. I'm going outside, anyway." Dipper replied from within the room before he came out of the room.

"It was a good try but why don't you just go home." Mabel said as she went into her room and closed the door.

Candy just stood there as Dipper looked at the door confused. "Is Mabel okay?" He asked, obliviously.

"Sans gave up on the whole matchmaker thing and she's really torn up about it." Candy replied as she started to walk towards the stairs to go downstairs.

"Wow. Well, I guess that's what happens when you force two people together." Dipper responded, blatantly pointing out the problem with matchmaking.

"Maybe she'll feel better and go dress shopping with me tomorrow afternoon. I'm thinking of being a nymph of the forest." Candy said, trying to look on the bright side.

"Yeah. I'll tell her you offered." Dipper nodded as he and Candy went outside of the Shack. "See you at the Ball."

"Yeah. See ya."

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Mabel only left her room once that day and that was to get dinner, which Grunkle Sans prepared for her and left out for her to eat if she got hungry. Mabel was too saddened by her failure at matchmaking, a skill she prized herself on, that she felt like staying in her room on Friday too, if it weren't for the Costume Ball.

Dipper, meanwhile, was busy working on speaking to Wendy. He pretended to speak to Wendy by speaking to a mirror. He has to do his best. He had already told MK to shine the spotlight on Wendy and him during the time when it was to be shone and so, he found himself bursting at the seams with newfound confidence when he came down for breakfast.

Mabel came downstairs for breakfast and found that Grunkle Sans wasn't there to greet her that morning. He must have been sleeping in that day. Mabel was about to eat some cereal when a knock came from the door.

"I'll get it." Mabel said to Dipper, less than enthusiastic.

She went towards the door of the Shack and when she opened it, she was shocked to find Alex at the door, a nervous look on his face. She immediately tried to brighten up her expression in front of the boy.

"Heya, Mabel." Alex greeted, nervously.

"Hi Alex!" Mabel yelled, trying to sound happier than she was.

Unfortunately, Alex took notice of her uncertainty and her insincerity. "Are you okay? You look sad." He said, concerned for Mabel's emotional well-being.

"Oh, well, the matchmaking plan fell apart." Mabel answered, her smile falling as she looked down at her feet in defeat and shame.

"I'm sorry." Alex replied, sharing her disappointment a bit even though the news was music to his ears. "Can I do anything to help?"

"Oh, naw! It's fine! I can be happy." Mabel smiled a huge fake smile to Alex as if to prove her point. Alex didn't seem to buy it but he shrugged. "Anyways, what brings you here?"

Alex immediately looked more nervous as he scratched the back of his head. "Oh... yeah... about that..." was all he could say as he tried to collect his thoughts into statement. "You see, I would be a fool not to ask you."

"Ask me what?" Mabel asked in confusion as she thought of what could he possibly ask her.

"I would be a fool not to ask you to... go to the Costume Ball with me. I would also be a fool not to love you. You're so funny and cool." Alex said, blatantly as Mabel looked in shock. Then, she started to smile for real as the words finally sunk in.

"You're asking me to go out with you?!" She exclaimed with a happy squeal, immediately bringing a smile to Alex's face.

"That is what I said, isn't it?" He said with a sly smile before looking at Mabel expectantly. "So, what do you think?"

"What do I think?! I think that I should say 'YES!'" Mabel replied enthusiastically, happy to find that her crush of the week actually liked her back.

"Well, then, I should get a costume." Alex responded as he got ready to leave with a huge smile on his face.

"Oh my gosh. Same!" Mabel exclaimed happily as she remembered that Candy offered to shop for dresses with her. "We should surprise each other with which costume we wear!"

"Great idea." He responded before a mischievous look went across his face. "I am definitely going to go as-"

"No! Don't tell me!" Mabel yelled before she plugged her ears and started making noise. "LALALALALALALALALALALA!" Then, she unplugged her ears as they both laughed together.

"Alright, well, see you tonight." Alex said with a wave before he started leaving.

"Bye Alex!" Mabel shouted out before she closed the door and took in deep breaths to try and put together what just happened.

"Mabel," Dipper said, looking around the corner from the kitchen in confusion. "What just happened?"

Mabel tried to think of a way to describe it without shrieking and breaking all the glass around it. What was the word? How do you describe something so pure and epic and yet romantic at the same time? She could only think of one sentence that fit everything properly.

"I just got a date for the Ball!"

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Mabel dressed up in her gown. It was a nice costume. She had seen it on a show once. It was an elegant reddish pink dress with a ribbon running around her waist with a white bow. She had in her hair, a red headband with demon horns and on her cheeks were red heart stickers which she had found in the sticker drawer on her side of the room and thought it was a great idea.

She walked downstairs fast for wearing a dress as she saw MK in her costume. MK wore a layered dress, with the layer on the bottom and top orange and the one in the center yellow. Her arms were mostly covered by the sleeves and her head was covered by a hood that gave her the look of a monster. Mainly, her costume looked like if her normal outfit were turned into a dress.

"Yo! You look great!" MK said in her usual casual speech.

"Thanks!" Mabel replied as she tried to keep her hair in line. "You look great too."

MK blushed. "Yeah, I mean... I'm only going to be on the balcony to control the spotlight. I guess I technically don't need to wear a dress..."

"No, Mikay! You look stunning in that dress! It's so you!" Mabel reassured as MK straightened out her dress.

"Yo, Dipper!" MK yelled out as she looked behind Mabel. Dipper was there and he was dressed in his Fodo costume, his cloak billowing out behind him as he stood in front of the two girls. "Halfling. I love it! I prefer Dragonborns myself but I love the detail you put into your costume."

Dipper stood there in shock as Mabel looked at MK in confusion. "You play Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons?" Dipper asked, shocked and impressed by MK's knowledge.

MK blushed as she looked down at her feet before she gave a defiant look and scoffed, although it was clear she was lying. "Pfff... That's a stupid game my dumb brother has. It's not like I have a level ten dragonborn paladin who defeated Tamait, the queen of evil dragons, in a single blow."

"Yeah. She's not a nerd like you, Dipper." Mabel responded, oblivious by the oddly specific details. "Plus, we have to go to the Costume Ball right now or else we'll miss all the romantic stuff!"

Mabel bounded off through the door, skipping her way through the shop. Behind her, MK and Dipper looked at each other out of the corner of their eyes awkwardly. Upon noticing that they were looking at each other, MK looked up at the ceiling while scratching her head and Dipper looked down at his feet, rubbing his arm before MK ran off after Mabel before the awkward moment could progress any longer. Then, Dipper followed once he realized he was far behind.

When he exited the Shack, he looked off at where MK and Mabel were chatting excitedly. That wasn't what caught his eyes, though, as he saw Chara behind a fence, leaning against it. Her head was held by her elbow as she looked with a playful smirk on her face. In front of the fence was a weed with wicked vines and thorns. It seemed to appear out of nowhere and yet, it grew fast and furiously. It had no flowers, although tiny buds grew from the vines. Chara continued to smirk as she spoke.

"Wow. You are truly a ladies' man. Look at how smooth you handled that situation." Chara then laughed before she looked at him in all seriousness. "But seriously, I felt the awkwardness from here."

"Hey! It's not like MK was Wendy or anything." Dipper said defensively, trying not to catch any attention from the civilians.

"Awww... You remind me of someone who was just as oblivious as you." Chara responded condescendingly as she put her hands to her cheeks. "It's funny. You might have a higher IQ than most humans but you fail in the same way most boys fail."

Then, Chara came over to Dipper and patted his head in a playfully, condescending way. "Don't worry. You'll learn when you grow up."

"Are you done?" Dipper asked in a frustrated tone of voice as he gave Chara a dirty look.

"Relax. I just like to play with you." Chara answered with a playful chuckle as her tone brightened. "You remind me of my brother."

Dipper blushed as he tried to register what that meant. "Is that a compliment?"

"I prized my brother over everything else. I like playing with you because, even though my brother wasn't as serious and mystery-driven as you, you both act the same way when you guys get flustered." Chara said in a relaxed tone of voice before she lightly punched Dipper's arm. "Now, go get the girl, tiger. I'm rooting for you."

Dipper smiled from the encouragement and chuckled before he ran off towards MK and Mabel. Chara smiled as she watched Dipper rejoin them and joined their conversation. She stayed behind, however, rather than retreat to Dipper's mind immediately. Her smile disappeared as her expression turned to one of concern and confusion. When she spoke, the words were unrecognizable and she seemed to say it to no one.

 _"VLR MOLJFPBA QL PBKA JB X ERJXK PLRI. F JXVYB PLRIIBPP YRQ F HKLT TEBK PLJBLKB EXP X OFDEQ QL IFSB."_ Chara paused, as if listening to something that spoke only in silence. Her expression scrunched up in distaste, not liking what she heard.

 _"F TLK'Q HFII EFJ. XPOFBI ABPBOSBP EFP PLRI JLOB QEXK JB."_ Chara said, sternly before she listened. She seemed satisfied upon hearing the words and, rather than answering in jibberish, she answered in English.

"Two signs."

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 _(Play "Rosalina in the Observatory 3" from "Super Mario Galaxy")_

The entire gym was decked out in streamers and balloons as well as tables full of food. Across from the double doors that was the only exit and entrance from the gym was a podium, that sat empty at the moment. An empty area was left for waltzing and to the left and right were tables full of punch, cookies, chocolate fountains, and pizza, the only food out of place. The dance floor was full of couples that were dressed in costumes, dancing to the music the orchestra and band were playing to the farthest right corner from the door.

The kids were surprisingly young, and yet they sounded like professionals. A boy with red hair and strange, glowing purple eyes was playing the only piano in the orchestra. Right next to him were three other kids. A girl with black hair and dark blue eyes played next to him, a cello in her hands as she played. Another girl with blonde hair and light blue eyes stood in front of the piano, playing a violin. In front of all of them was a boy with brown hair and brown eyes that almost looked orange, playing the xylophone.

"So, who do you think will be spotlighted, Mel?" The piano player asked the girl in front of his piano.

The girl put her violin down for a bit as she scanned the ballroom, the orchestra covering up the fact she wasn't playing. She watched for a while before shrugging.

"I don't know, Treble. It's too early to say." Mel answered before starting to play her violin again.

Treble sighed in frustration. "I mistake bass clef for treble clef one time and now, Louis gave me a nickname to remind me of that."

The girl with the cello laughed as she continued to play, perfectly. "C'mon. We're your music nerd friends. We all have nicknames. You're Treble, Tiffany's Melody, I'm Octavia, and Louis... Louis, what's your real name?"

The boy in front of them all continued to play the xylophone. "Does my name matter?" He said all defensively. "At any rate, we are the top music people in the entire band. Let's aim to impress, guys."

"Who set up the spotlight?" Octavia asked the rest of the group in confusion. "I don't remember who had to do that."

"I'm pretty sure it was Kat." Treble said with certainty. "She said that she wanted to make the legend more true. Anything could happen."

"Oh no. You don't mean-" Mel responded in nervousness and worry.

"Yeah. I'm pretty sure we're all on the same page here." Treble answered before the question could come out of Mel's mouth.

"I swear, if Kat ruins anything with her light show..." Octavia said, letting the sentence hang in the air as they waited on edge for the time to come where the couple would be chosen.

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Mabel met Alex at the door of the gym. He was dressed dapperly in a cowboy outfit. He wore his usual cowboy hat but he also had a leather vest, a bandana, boots with spurs, a big belt buckle, and a holster for his fake gun.

"I like your outfit, although I imagined you as more of an angel." Alex said slyly as Mabel approached.

"Awwwww... Stop it." Mabel responded, playfully as Alex put out his arm for her to put her hand on so that he could walk her in. The couple walked into the gym as Dipper and MK talked.

"Alright. So, you control the spotlight and shine it on Wendy and me. I will do my part and stay close to her so that it isn't hard, got it?" Dipper confirmed as MK looked in understanding.

"Got it. You got this, Dipper." MK said encouragingly as she put up two thumbs up. "I better go to the rafters. See ya on the dance floor, Dipper." MK then winked and went into the building. That's when a certain lazy red-headed teen and her Elmo date showed up.

"Hey, Dipper!" Dipper spun around, startled to see Wendy and Robbie there, holding hands. Wendy wore a simple blue dress that seemed more beautiful than the world's most elegant dress, to Dipper. Meanwhile, his rival, Robbie, was wearing a vampire costume, a cape with a black exterior and blood red interior added to his normal clothing, along with ear extensions and fake vampire teeth. That being said, Robbie looked about the same. Honestly, his goth look and pale skin could've passed off as a vampire costume.

"I didn't expect to see you here." Wendy said, happily while Robbie looked anything but happy.

"Ooohhhh... Yup! I mean, I'm the Fun... Master and I come to do fun things." Dipper responded, sweat running down his forehead as he realized the awkwardness of the situation.

"Cool. See ya in there, Dipper." Wendy said with a wave as Robbie led her into the gym for the ball.

Dipper took three deep breaths, looking like he was about to run a marathon, before he ran inside the building, throwing all caution to the wind.

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MK watched from above the rafters with Candy as the Ball progressed. She couldn't help but smile at the happiness around her. Sure, she didn't have a date or any romantic interest but she always loved the Ball. Something about it just seemed so... magical. She stood by the spotlight that was covered by a black sheet as she scanned the ballroom.

Near the punch and cookies, Dipper stood, his elbow on the table. He watched the center in envy and determination at Wendy and Robbie, who were waltzing. It was a bit of a clumsy waltz, however, as it seemed Robbie didn't know how to waltz at all and his cape wasn't making it any easier.

MK shifted her expression into one of distaste towards Robbie. She hated that smart Alec. Why did Wendy go out with that terrible person? Wendy was a great friend. How could she betray MK like that? Before her thoughts could continue, MK turned her head in repulsion towards the two most unusual couples at the Ball.

A woman with black hair, pale skin, and brown eyes was dancing with a man that looked just like her. The woman's costume consisted of a headband that had both cat ears and rounded dog ears, a blue shirt, and a name tag that said, "TeMMie!" Meanwhile, the man wore the same thing, except he had a name tag that said, "Bob." The two looked star struck.

"i LuV U BoB!" The woman said, having improper grammar despite speaking. "wEE B 2GaThA 4Eva!"

"I love you too, Temmie." Bob responded with proper grammar. They continued to dance and MK continued to look confused. MK then turned to look at Mabel.

Alex and Mabel were dancing amidst the crowd. Alex led the dance as Mabel continued to stare into Alex's eyes in wonder. At one point, Alex looked up at MK and saluted her subtly. MK smiled. She knew Alex as a childhood friend. He was always good in a fight. She gave him a thumbs up in encouragement and then nodded vigorously.

Alex smirked before he turned away from MK and focused on Mabel. MK turned away to look at the logistics of the spotlight when she heard something. She looked down her dress and searched for where the noise was coming from. Then, she found a pocket and inside was her earpiece. She put it up to her ear to hear Grenda's voice on the other end of the line.

"Target Toriel has entered the building. Anybody copy?" Grenda said as MK saw Toriel come in through the door in her costume.

The casual banter silenced as Toriel entered the room, only the sound of feet and music going through the room. Her hair was pulled up above her head in a bun, a few strands of hair allowed to dangle next to her face as a tiara with sky blue crystals held back the rest of the hair. Her dress was a light blue, sort of like a crystal blue lake. The dress was simple, as it fell to her ankle, where it had a fluffy white trim. Her eyes searched the room for the person who would ask her out. Unfortunately, MK knew her search would be in vain. When she realized the girls weren't there, she walked gracefully to the opposite side of the ballroom and sat on a bench, waiting patiently.

"What is it, MK?" Candy asked in curiosity after seeing the blood drain from MK's face, having been looking over the spotlight and didn't notice Toriel's arrival.

"Did you tell Toriel he wasn't coming?" MK responded, panicked.

"I thought that was your job!" Candy said in alarm as they both slowly looked down at Toriel. "Oh no. Sans isn't even coming! What should we do?"

"MK, Candy. Where's Target Sans?" Grenda asked through the earpiece.

MK put her finger to earpiece as she tried to think through the coming disaster. "Grenda, this is a code red. I repeat. Abort the mission." MK said in a stern voice. "Target Sans has been compromised. I repeat. He isn't coming."

"Then what should we do?" Grenda replied, sounding just as panicked as Candy and MK were at the moment.

"Just... just drop it, Grenda." Candy answered as she took MK's earpiece and spoke through it. "It's my fault. Toriel will find out one way or another. If she views me as a liar, then that is my fault." Candy and MK bowed their head in shame.

If MK and Candy would've looked over the rafters at that moment, they would've seen a man come through the front door of the room, looking for someone. They would've seen someone with a skeleton mask and a tuxedo. And most of all, they would've heard him call her name.

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Toriel sat at the bench, searching for the man who the kids had told her about. The first thing that made her unsure was that nobody approached her and asked for her hand in a dance. Second, those two girls were nowhere to be found. Maybe this was just a prank. A cruel prank to play on a poor schoolteacher.

She sat there, searching he crowd before she sighed. Then, she turned her head parallel to the wall. She smiled as she playfully knocked on the wall three times. Then, she spoke, almost unheard amongst the music.

"Who's there?" She asked, despite knowing no one was there. Then, she answered herself in a deeper, lazier tone of voice. "dishes."

"Dishes who?" She replied to her own words before she answered again in the different voice again. "DISHES a bad joke."

Toriel's smile brightened a little before it faded. He was gone. They went their separate ways after his brother disappeared and Frisk left. He never wrote or called and she missed him. His jokes were bad but they were funny to her. The heartache strengthened. She might as well just leave. No one was here to dance with her. She got up from her bench right as the music and the dancing stopped.

Everyone turned toward the podium as they listened to the speaker. Everyone, that is, except for Toriel, her head slumped to her chest in dismay as she refused to look up. She knew the speaker. He was one of the first students to be taught at her school along with his twin brother. He was grown man now. He had brown hair and, behind his glasses, dark eyes. He looked across the audience as he spoke while Toriel tried to walk through the now-still crowd.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I have been given the privilege to speak on the behalf of Headmistress Toriel." The man announced. "I was taught by Toriel a long time ago, along with my brother. I may not have been good at physical education and my brother may not have been the best at math or science, but we both agree that Toriel's school taught us important skills and abilities I never knew I had until I joined this school. I know that this community has gained a valuable addition to their name and that these kids of Gravity Falls are in good hands."

Toriel continued to move through the crowd, trying to hid her embarrassment. As she reached halfway across the room, she neglected to hear a man call her name.

"Tori." The man whispered as he followed her. He wore a suit and a Días de los Muertos skeleton mask. He tried to run after her but was always a hair short of touching her shoulder. He couldn't let her leave his life. Not again. He had his chance and it was now in never. Both figures couldn't hear the announcer conclude his short speech.

"Now, it is my pleasure to say that it is now time for the Caritaszanite to be shown." The room went silent as MK aimed the spotlight at Dipper, who was watching her with approval, and Wendy, who was whispering to Robbie obliviously.

Toriel was nearing the door as the figure behind her continued to run. "No. Nononono!" He whispered in frustration as he watched from about three yards away the woman of his life open the door.

MK took of the dark blanket and a startlingly bright light shone out. Candy stared in confusion. They didn't even turn it on, yet. The light bent and did not land on its intended target, to Dipper's dismay. Instead, it shown on a certain headmistress who was leaving.

Toriel turned around and closed the door as she looked at the other spotlight. The crowd parted around her as they made a path for the other person to come towards her. Once a clearing was made, she saw the man in the spotlight. The man who had called out her name, and yet she did not notice. The man who chased her, and yet she did not stop. The couple looked at each other in amazement. Who is this man, Toriel wondered. Is he the one that wanted to dance with me?

The man walked towards her at a steady methodical pace as the spotlight followed him, all eyes on them. Toriel took the clue and walked away from the exit. Mabel pushed through the crowd with Alex in tow, his eyes downcast at seeing the schoolteacher.

"Who is that man?" She asked in starstruck awe.

"I dunno. We'll find out soon enough." Alex whispered with a frown.

They met in the middle and the man held out his hands in front of him for her to take. Toriel hesitantly put her right hand on one of the hands. Then, a small group of people from the band, choir, and the four kids out front, started a waltz.

 _(I know this music comes from where I got the inspiration for this chapter but it fits too perfectly. "Blood Moon Waltz" from Star vs. the Forces of Evil.)_

Toriel was startled by the music as she looked up but then, she found her hands immediately taken by the man as he put his left hand to the side, clasped to Toriel's hand, and his right hand around her waist. Toriel was quick to put her left hand on his shoulder. The man guided her from place to place as they spun and twirled. The audience watched in silent awe at the show. Dipper watched before looking up to MK, who shrugged.

Toriel couldn't help but smile. Even if this man didn't mean to dance with her, he certainly had the moves. He took his hand off of her waist as he swung her so that they were only connected by their conjoined hands. Then, he pulled her back into their normal position as they continued. Then, the music reached its climax and as it did, everybody in the audience clapped before they joined the dance, the light still shining on the couple of the hour.

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Meanwhile, Dipper came up the stairs to MK. He wasn't angry at MK. He was wondering what happened. He could confirm that the spotlight should've shined right on him. What went wrong?

"What happened?" Dipper asked, flustered.

"I dunno, Dipper!" Just as MK replied, a girl with brown hair and brown eyes ran up to the rafters, laughing maniacally as she looked at the spotlight.

"It worked! She shouted. "I knew it would work! When I put the Caritaszanite into the spotlight, I knew that it would fit the legend! I just made a night to remember!"

After hearing this, it took everyone a second to realize that this girl had given them the spotlight and had replaced a lightbulb with Caritaszanite. She smiled in insanity as she skipped down the stairs, reveling in her success.

"I'm sorry, Dipper." MK said, sincerely as he watched Wendy and Robbie dance. "I know how much that dance meant to you and I messed it up."

Dipper sighed. "It's okay, MK. It's not your fault."

MK stayed in silence before she came it with an idea. "You know, you've been practicing dancing." She replied, slyly, calling a look of confusion on Dipper's face before she clarified. "Who said that friends couldn't waltz? I watched 'A Christmas Carol' and Scrooge waltzes with his nephew's wife. If they can do that and just be friends, maybe we could dance together as friends."

Dipper thought it over. It was true. Waltzing could be between friends. Some of the people on the dance floor were probably friends, too. Plus, he didn't want his practicing to go to waste. With a chuckle and a smile, he turned towards MK with a hand out as he bowed.

"Shall we dance as friends?" Dipper said, elegantly as MK answered by putting her hand in his. Then, they walked downstairs to join the crowd in dancing.

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As the song reached its closure, the man let go of her waist as he swung her out again. Toriel then had an idea as to what to do. She pulled him towards her, startling him before he decided to go with it. Then, she twirled him as he leaned back to fall on her arm, their faces a few inches apart. Everyone clapped before they settled into a silent watch, waiting to see who this mysterious man was that had just danced with their headmistress.

"Please, may I take off your mask and see who you are? I must know who I danced with." Toriel asked, planning on giving the audience what they wanted. Mabel was close to the front to see who the mysterious man was. Toriel took her right hand, careful not to drop the man, and took off his mask, slowly but surely. She gasped in surprise.

The man underneath the mask was none other than Grunkle Sans. A big genuine smile was on his face as he looked up into Toriel's face, as if he saw everything as a joke. His eyes, however, told of nervousness. How would Toriel react to this revelation?

"Sans?!" She yelled out in shock. It wasn't a yell of anger or scorn, merely surprise and familiarity. Whispers went through the crowd.

"No... way!" Wendy said in awe and amusement. "I never thought my boss had it in him!"

"Oh... my... gosh!" Mabel cried out in pure joy. "I did it! I knew I could do it!" The MSG surrounded her as the hugged and gushed over Mabel about their success.

Sans, however, looked panicked as his smile turned into a frown. Did Toriel not like seeing him? He immediately tried to explain.

"i-i'm sorry, tori! did i get into ya terri-TORI-el bubble?" He stuttered, making a pun.

Toriel answered with a giggle that became a full blown laugh. She continued to laugh as the audience watched. Sans was unsure of himself. Did he do something wrong? Then, Toriel stopped as she tried to speak.

"I...I haven't seen you in at least a decade and you... you come back... ahaha... and dance with me... I-I should've known... The Costume was a big giveaway!" She said, although no one understood why it was a giveaway in the first place. "And I thought no one would dance with me!"

"yeah... i'm sorry, toriel. i've always had two cold feet. if i were my bro, i would've asked you out sooner." Sans responded, flustered and remorseful.

"No no, Sans. If I knew you were here, I would've moved my school here sooner." Toriel answered with a laugh.

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That day was many things. Dipper said it was okay. He didn't get his dance with Wendy and show her his skills but MK assured him that if she did dance with him, she would've totally fell for him.

Alex would've said it was... interesting. He loved being with Mabel, but the light show... he preferred if it never happened. MK answered by saying it was the first time she managed to ask someone to dance with her. You may interpret that as you will. Candy and Grenda thought that it was great to matchmaker something that actually happened. It isn't easy to get fictional characters together without making it sound like angry fanmail. Toriel finally found Sans again, after a decade or two of searching for him and she was planning on keeping him close. Sans got his wish of seeing Tori again and finally pronouncing his love. Mabel couldn't stop smiling for a week. However, no matter how they felt about that day, they would all agree on one thing.

It was certainly a night to remember.

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 _Rez dipyd...? S mnqpr j slzng pydryr kll dse apqeqmd? Heuw, tp qpp hawed duw dtgwd, drc'a rznwl ror bhz srryc. Jwzv fxc oymu ty tqp duw._

 **A/N: Okay, guys. I know I have a controversial ship but this is my story and that is my favorite ship. I promise you that this is the only chapter I had planned that only focused on this controversial ship but I must warn you that if you fight me, I will fight back, hard. I have a right to ship Temmie and Bob together, alright? I have a right! TemmieXBob! Will! Live! On! Anyways, 22,000 words, guys. This is the longest. The second youngest was 8,000 words. O-O**


	7. Dipper's Challenge

**A/N Hey guys! Happy Chapter before the first Arc Ender! Are you guys excited?! I know I am! I've been building up to this Arc Ender for a while. Nobody will leave without tears in their eyes (unless they are not prone to showing emotions through crying like me). I know this took me a while to write, because school has decided my free time is not important in any way, shape, or form. In terms of this chapter? Well, this is the calm before the... well, you know that saying. I'm sorry if this seems like a copy of the original episode but... I have to save my energy for the amount of original content in the next one. One hundred percent original (Well, maybe not exactly 100%), while all the other chapters are approximately 75-90% original. You can see why I have to somewhat be on the lower side of creative with this one.**

It was a wonderfully calm morning. A morning that Sans decided to celebrate with pancakes at Lazy Susan's diner. Of course, if could've just been a clever ploy to avoid cooking, but it worked, nonetheless. The three of them entered the diner with grins on their faces. Lazy Susan, her name given to her by her eye that was permanently partially closed, smiled and came over towards the booth.

"Well, well, well!" She said happily as she looked at Sans and then looked at the Twins. "It looks like you have brought two newcomers, Sans!"

"heh. sure did. thought they would wanna taste of some good grub." Sans replied with a shrug. "the food is always EGGS-celent here." He winked as the old waitress laughed.

"Well, what drinks do these two rascals want?" She asked, waiting for their orders.

"Hot chocolate!" Mabel yelled out in a loud voice. "With a a mountain of whipped cream!"

Sans chuckled under his breath. "i'll pay extra for the whipped cream."

"Oh no. We have tons of whipped cream. You don't have to pay a penny!" Lazy Susan replied, trying to wink with her lazy eye. "And what would you like?" She asked, motioning towards the silent Dipper.

"Same for me." Dipper replied, sounding unenthused. The waitress, however, didn't seem to notice.

"Okay then! Two hot chocolates and the usual, right Mr. Pines?" Susan responded, looking over at Sans.

"you know me so well." He answered as Susan left. Mabel, meanwhile, looked at her brother beside her, who was staring wistfully out the window. Her smile turned into a frown of concern at Dipper's lack of response. She had to ask. It was the only way to cheer him up.

"What's wrong, Dipper?" Mabel asked with a hint of worry in her voice, despite her playful tone.

Dipper sighed, not once turning to look at his family. "I'm fine."

"You are definitely not fine." She argued as she got closer to his ear and whispered into it. "Is it because of that stupid journal?"

Dipper gave Mabel a disgruntled look as he subtly nodded his head. Before Mabel could speak again, the waitress returned and put down the two hot chocolates, both with a whipped cream mountain that could topple over at any moment, next to Dipper and Mabel. Dipper averted his gaze from the window as he studied Sans. The waitress put down a mug that had coffee in it. Sans smiled at Lazy Susan as he took a drink from the mug. He said a joke to her, to which the waitress burst into laughter. All the while, Dipper spoke to his sister quietly.

"Mabel, there are two mysteries I am trying to solve and I am looking at one of them right now." He said as Sans continued to rattle some jokes off the top of his head.

"Oh, c'mon, bro-bro! Grunkle Sans is the least mysterious person I know, and I've met tons of normal people." Mabel brushed off as she smiled happily at Sans.

"Really? What about the door we're not allowed to enter? What about the extra chair? And the ketchup he drinks? And the fact he locks the door to his room every night? What about that tag game? Wasn't it odd to you?" Dipper responded, annoyed at his sister's reluctance to believe him.

Mabel tried to brush off the evidence Dipper gave her but she found that it was an not a refutable claim. She looked at Sans with uneasy eyes. Then, she turned to Dipper.

"Dipper, even with those mysteries, he loves us. He trusts us. He isn't a bad guy." Mabel said, already seeing that her brother was theorizing that Sans was the devil or something less than good.

Dipper sighed as he turned to Mabel and looked her in the eyes for the first time ever since the conversation started. "I don't know, Mabel. The more I investigate the Journal, the more I think that maybe Sans has something to do with it. Maybe he knew the Author or maybe he is the Author. I don't know. I just don't know how to feel if I find out that Grunkle Sans was the Author all along."

"Maybe you need to prove yourself to him. Get onto his good side." Mabel suggested, lightheartedly. "Show off your muscles, or your lack of them." She giggled a little as Dipper blushed in embarrassment.

Lazy Susan interrupted the Twins as she got out her notebook for orders. "Well, what can I get for you two?"

"Waffles!" Mabel yelled out with one of her arms in the air. "With a smiley face on it!"

"i'll pay for that." Sans whispered lazily with a wink, as Lazy Susan laughed.

"I'll just have pancakes." Dipper said as he looked down in front of him with a frown. No one seemed to notice, however, as Lazy Susan smiled.

"The usual for you, Sans?" She asked with a grin.

"heh... ya know me so well." Sans closed both of his eyes as he shrugged with a lazy smile.

Dipper watched closely as Sans leaned back once Lazy Susan had taken their orders and went back to the kitchen. It was hard to read his Grunkle. He was truly the best at hiding his real emotions. He acted as though the two emotions he really had were sleepy or jokester. If only his Grunkle could open up to him like a book and tell him all the answers to all of the questions that were buzzing around in his mind. Maybe he needed to prove himself. The question was, what did Grunkle Sans want that Dipper could prove he had.

Wit wasn't it. Dipper had already proven his intelligence and cunning to Grunkle Sans and he hadn't done anything after seeing those feats. His adventurous spirit wasn't it either, for he had told Grunkle Sans many of his adventures with Mabel before. Endurance was right out too. He had managed to survive the Oak Incident with his endurance. What was left? Then, it hit Dipper. Strength. Strength had to be what his Grunkle was looking for. Maybe he wanted someone strong enough physically and mentally to handle the secrets he held.

The obvious question afterwards was how could he show off his strength that he totally had. Before he could come up with a solution, Lazy Susan came back with their orders.

"Waffle with a smiley face for you, sweetie." She said with a smile as Mabel perked up and looked at the waffle in front of her with wonder and joy.

"Why, hello, delicious food. You will now be mine." She whispered in astonishment before she took a bite out of the smiley waffle.

"Pancake for you, mister." Lazy Susan announced with a smile as she placed some pancakes in front of Dipper, before she put down another plate of food in front of Sans. "An order of fries with some ketchup."

"thanks, susan. you know me well." Sans replied with a smile before pulling out a fry, dipping it in ketchup, and then eating it as Susan went to help with the other customers.

Dipper eyed Sans suspiciously as he ate the ketchup-dipped fries. Why was Sans so obsessed with ketchup? He even drank ketchup. What was the deal? Then, Dipper noticed Sans had caught a glance at his intent staring and quickly looked away, as if he hadn't been investigating Sans' eating habits. Unfortunately, it was too late and Sans was already looking at him with a questioning and concerned look, somewhat hidden by his nonchalant ruse he put on.

"what's up, kiddo? you look like you've seen my head come off." Sans joked, but Dipper could see he really wanted to know. In his joking manner, his question still stood, just as serious.

"Nothing." Dipper replied quickly, causing Sans to look startled for a bit. Then, Dipper sighed. "I just didn't know you ate fries for breakfast."

"ehhh... just thought i would KETCHUP on the delicious food i missed." Sans replied, a rimshot sounding from somewhere in space-time.

The three of them ate their hearty breakfasts, Mabel and Sans conversing happily as they made puns and joked around. Dipper, meanwhile, merely watched, wondering if there was anyway that he could prove his strength without outright embarrassing himself. Then, his helpful companion spoke in his head.

 _So, you want to impress the comedian, huh?_ Chara's voice echoed. Dipper didn't answer, hoping Chara could read his mind and know what the answer was. _You know, there is an easier way to get your Grunkle's secrets. We could make a deal, y'know._

Dipper was unsure as always. Chara had proven herself and yet there was still a part of him that didn't want to make a deal. His logical mind told him that she was a trustworthy person and that she was capable of being trusted for the deal. She would accomplish her side of the deal, easily. Then, there was the side of him that just... didn't trust the dead human. Chara's sigh echoed in his mind.

 _It's okay. You don't have to do it. I just can't guarantee that I can help with anything you do. A deal has that guarantee but since that won't be happening..._ Dipper sighed again. I guess there were just somethings you couldn't count on.

"Are you all done?" Lazy Susan asked, referring to the empty plates in front of the trio.

"yup. thanks for the good grub. put it on my tab." Sans said with a wink and a sly grin.

"I always do." She replied as she took the eyelid of her lazy eye and moved it to do a winking motion. Then, she went off to help the other customers.

Sans chuckled to himself. "welp, we better get moving. we've got a lot of stuff to slack off on."

"Yeah! Slacking off!" Mabel cheered as she stood up from the booth. "Adventure! Treasure! Maybe hot guys! Let's go!"

"...Yeah... let's go." Dipper echoed softly as he followed the two jokesters towards the exit. As he was about to walk out the door, something caught his eyes. Something that could prove to help his plight.

It was a game that would usually be found in bars or saloons, making its placement in the diner quite unusual. It was a simple game, however. In front of a screen full of high scores, there was a platform that was meant to be hit by a mallet seen at a fair or carnival, since it had a plate for measuring amount of force. Underneath the scoreboard was a keyboard for putting in the nickname you wanted to go by. It seemed that the harder you hit it, the higher score you got. A strength game. Just what the doctor ordered. Now, he could try to prove himself to Sans.

"I see you're eyeing that machine right there." Startled, Dipper turned his head to find Lazy Susan right behind him, looking at the game. "Look at the high score on the leaderboard."

As Dipper approached, he noticed the high score. It was a whopping score of 1,611,625. His mouth was wide open in shock. How could someone get that high of a score? It seemed impossible. Unthought of. Legendary. He looked to the side to find a four-letter name beside it. "Papy". The name of the doer of the impossible.

"Yeah. I was there." Lazy Susan said with a blissful look in her eye as she reminisced. "No one would keep the title of high score for long, that is until a newcomer came in. He had to be about six feet tall. His hair was as white as fresh snow and he wore a strange outfit, the most striking of which was the scarf he wore around his neck that, in the wind, looked more like a cape. With a deafening pound, he hit that plate and with a 'wowie!', he grasped victory. He has kept that high score ever since and I haven't seen him for more than a decade."

"He's kept that score for that long?!" Dipper exclaimed.

"Even longer! Not many people wanted to play it afterwards, so we offered a reward in return for who could topple the king." Then, someone called out her name and she turned to look back at the main room of the diner. "Just a bit of a history lesson." She replied before she went to help out the customers of her establishment.

Dipper stood in front of the machine in contemplation. This was his ticket. His ticket for getting his Grunkle's trust. It was a simple way of doing it. He had to beat the high score. Of course, it was no small feat. He would have to be confident and strong, both of which he was sure he could do.

 _Oh no. You don't really want to risk your reputation on this game, just for a chance to prove yourself to Sans, do you?_ Chara whined in his mind. She was the voice of reason. What she said was true. This was a silly thing to lose your reputation on. Unfortunately, Dipper wasn't taking no for an answer.

"Oh c'mon." Dipper whispered in response. "It's not like someone stronger than us hasn't tried and failed. It's worth a shot."

 _Oh c'mon! Dipper, you know better! You might as well just take my deal and be done with-_ She was silent. Dipper waited for the rest of her counter argument but it never came. Upon looking around the game, he immediately, with a smirk, realized what Chara was so shocked about. On the side, a sign said, "Break the high score and win a year's supply of chocolate". He smiled knowingly. In his time being with Chara, he had learned as much about her as she did from him. One thing he learned was that Chara was a sucker for chocolate. It was her kryptonite and if she wanted some, she would get some.

"Looks like you found a reason to help me beat the high score." Dipper whispered under his breath with a smirk.

 _Shut up and just get the chocolate!_ Chara yelled inside his brain, desperate to get her chocolate and fast.

With that, Dipper searched through his pockets for a quarter, the small tax to have a chance of getting a year's supply of chocolate and the chance to prove yourself to your Grunkle. Once he found one, he put it into the machine and picked up the hammer. He didn't dare lift it yet, as he prepared himself. He wanted to hit the machine as hard as he could. He wanted to prove himself. He felt something resonate from within his very core of existence as he felt unwilling to give up.

 _*You are filled with DETERMINATION!_

Lifting up the hammer with both hands on the handle to deliver the devastating blow, he felt more strength come over him. Instinctively, he knew that Chara was helping him. The power felt amazing, and with his new-found confidence, he hit the podium as hard as he could.

 _* . . ._

The score came up and it was the 491,625. It wasn't even close to Papy's score. Dipper felt disappointment fill his entire being as the feeling died down. He tried his hardest and it still wasn't good enough.

 _*Despite everything, it's still you._

Chara said nothing at the failure and Dipper stood there speechless. That is until Mabel came through the door.

"Bro-bro! Sans and I have been creating puns and we need someone to groan at them!" Mabel yelled out as she came through the door to the diner, somewhat startled to find Dipper right next to her, staring at the machine. Her smile dissipated as her expression became more worried. "What's wrong, Dipper?"

"N-nothing." Dipper replied, trying to hide the lie as he turned towards Mabel with a fake smile.

"That doesn't sound like nothing." Mabel noted as she tried to get sincerity out of Dipper.

"Well, that's unfortunate, because it really is nothing." He countered forcefully before, upon noticing Mabel's hurt expression, he became calmer. "You go ahead out. I'll catch up in a second."

She looked at him, as if she were about to say something, but then she shook her head and went out the door. Dipper sighed. What a terrible start of the day it was. He took a glance at the leaderboard and the fabled "Papy" player, who hadn't been seen since more than a decade. If only he could meet this player. If only he could beat this man. Then, he noticed something even more peculiar, upon studying the leaderboard.

Second place, third place, fourth place, and every other place all the way down to tenth had the same name. "Undy". He mulled this over as he looked towards the second place score and gasped. Undy only missed the bot by a hundred points. That amount of points was easy to get. Undy missed Papy's score by a hair. Putting two and two together, Dipper realized it was Undyne. Undyne was the closest to beating this legend. Maybe, just maybe, he could persuade Undyne to teach him in the ways of being strong, and maybe then he could defeat the fabled, "Papy".

Immediately, Dipper knew what he was going to do today. It was as simple as that. Of course, he didn't know where Undyne lived, but he knew someone who undoubtedly knew. As he left the diner, a plan was hatched. Mabel and Sans would soon stop making fun of his small muscles. He would be respected.

What Dipper failed to notice was the fact that in his moment of power, he felt unstoppable. That was Chara's hand in the act. A simple sample of her power. She silently mused that she could've made him win that game, easy, but where would be the challenge in that? The sample was to make him realize what it felt like. How the power was unrelenting. The power was unwilling to give up. Unwilling to let anything get in his way. Unwilling to stop. Unfortunately, this power also was intoxicating. Unnoticed, but very much there, Dipper found himself wanting more of this power.

Exactly as Chara planned.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Once home, Dipper immediately set off, wordlessly to find the locations of Undyne. His first idea was simple. It was as simple as reading off a crumpled note that had been given to him and Mabel one of the first times they saw her. He was in the center of the town, looking down at the note in confusion.

"13 North Woodpecker Drive." Dipper read out loud. "Dirt road, right of the library. Continue down it. First white house on the left."

He shrugged after reading the crude note before following the instructions. As he walked down the road, the landscape started to change drastically. To the right of him was the forest that held all of the mysteries and wonder that kept him up at night. On the left side, it was like a completely different world. It had no trees whatsoever and was full of green grassland. Further along this dusty road, after he had traveled about a quarter of a mile, he found that, even though the forest had remained as constant as the sky was blue, the clearing to the left of him changed from grassy plains to farmland, freshly plowed and watered. Just as soon as the farmland appeared, a small farmhouse came into view.

It looked to be a quaint little two-story house. As Dipper neared it, he took note of the other details of it. The house had the style of an old-fashioned farmstead, with faded curtains and a big porch that held a rocking chair. However, it was recently built, as proven by its white exterior, which looked to have been a fresh coat of paint that had been added about a year or so. There was mainly windows, although all of them were covered by curtains. The door was covered by a screen door. Truly, this was a stylistic choice on the family's part.

Dipper climbed up the steps to the porch and debated whether to knock on the door or not. Maybe this wasn't the right house. How could a kid like MK live in such an old-style house? She seemed to be the opposite of a farmgirl. She seemed more like the upbeat kid that everyone liked because she was actually nice and cool. Those types of people didn't usually come from quaint backgrounds, however.

With a sigh, he gave in and opened up the screen door. With a confidence that he never truly had, he knocked and waited for an answer. He waited in awkward silence as he heard footsteps patter through the house to answer it. Then, the door was answered by a small boy.

The boy seemed about eight or nine years old and was quite small for his age. Still, he had the feel of someone who was confident in himself, so much so that he made everyone, older or younger than him, have respect towards him. The boy had pitch black hair that faded into a forest green near the tips as it fell to chin length in straight, long strands. He wore a green and black striped jacket with the hood over his head. His hazel eyes watched Dipper suspiciously as he came out of the house, hands in his pockets as if they never were there. He leaned up against the open door a little bit, not allowing Dipper to even view the inside of the house. The boy seemed to have a bad boy attitude and yet it was cute at the same time.

"Who arr ya?" The boy asked with an accent. "I ain't seen ya around here before."

"Well, I'm Dipper Pines and I am looking for MK." Dipper answered politely as he looked at the strange boy.

"Oh. You're one of my sis's weird friends, huh?" The boy replied, becoming more relaxed and less hostile towards Dipper. However, there was still a sort of dislike towards Dipper and, if Dipper didn't know any better, there was a hint of disappointment after learning who he came for. "Sorry. She ain't here. MK and that no-good sister-stealing Alex are off somewhere."

Dipper watched the boy. He seemed to just hate everyone who hung out with MK. Still, he seemed to hide the fact that he might know the location of where she was. "Could you please tell me where she is?"

"That depends." The boy said with a malevolent smirk. "How much'll you be willin' to pay to see my numbskull sister?"

"Michael Cornelius!" A woman shrieked from inside the house. "What have I told you?!"

Michael looked through the door, flustered and annoyed. "But Callie, he won't leave!"

"MC, I'm going to count to three and if you don't tell him where your sister is, you're gonna be in big trouble." The woman yelled back.

Dipper was unsure what to do. He was embarrassed to be the cause of this drama. Seriously, all he wanted to do was find MK and now MC was getting yelled at by Callie, or maybe his mom. Maybe he should just silently walk away and forget about this entire ordeal. Unfortunately, this lady would not take "no" for an answer.

MC was pouting and trying to ignore the counting his mother was doing as he tried not to look at Dipper.

"...1..."

Tears were forming in his eyes. Despite his confidence in himself, the tears served as a reminder to Dipper that this was still an eight year old. This kid sure was acting older than he was, but he definitely wasn't acting mature. What was up with this kid?

"...2..."

"Alright! Fine!" MC yelled out as he turned towards Dipper. "They went into the forest. Towards the waterfall."

"Uhhh... Thanks, I guess?" Was all Dipper could say as he started to leave. Could that situation could've gotten more awkward? As he left, he could've sworn that MC muttered, "mouth breather" under his breath but Dipper wasn't going to start another fight. He had had enough of awkwardness for today.

The greatest thing he learned from that situation, however, was to appreciate MK. She was way nicer than her younger brother and was not a jerk. The only time she lost her temper or did something like that was when Robbie was making fun of her, and that was understandable. She deserved a pat on the back for being a good friend and well-behaved kid.

As he walked on the path to the waterfall, Chara appeared beside him to keep him company. The way to the waterfall was not far but it wasn't exactly close either, and he kind of appreciated the normality Chara provided after meeting MK's brother.

 _"That kid is a jerk. If I ever get my hands on him..."_ Chara scowled as her hands clenched into fists.

"I know. I'm actually kind of glad MK isn't like that." Dipper replied softly as he rubbed his arm. "I mean, that kid reminded me of Robbie and MK isn't anything like Robbie."

 _"That no good Robbie is one of the reasons I..."_ Chara's sentence broke off as she covered her mouth with her right hand in shock. She hadn't meant to continue. Dipper looked at her with questioning eyes, before she put her hand back to her side and pretended to hide her sentence, although her eyes clearly still shown the fear.

"That you... what?" Dipper asked cautiously, trying not to get onto Chara's bad side.

Chara sighed in defeat, knowing that he heard what she said. _"It doesn't matter."_

"It does to me." Dipper countered, his eyes pleading for answers, answers he hoped Chara would give.

Chara looked at him with regret. It wasn't the regret that said she regretted her decision, but rather the regret that she had to hide it.

 _"I'm sorry, Dipper. Some things are just too hard to talk about."_ She said with a soft smile before it dissipated. _"I don't like to relive the past."_

Dipper examined her for a while before turning back to the road, both of them traveling in thinking silence. That's when they heard something up ahead. In a swift motion, Chara was gone and Dipper paused and eyed the road in front of him cautiously. Anything could be in front of him. A real owlbear, a stonewolf, or maybe even a Minotaur. Of course, his worries were assuaged as a familiar girl in a yellow and orange poncho came out of the forest. He smiled as MK recognized him.

"Yo!" She yelled out, before running up to him. She seemed to be all alone, with no sign of Alex anywhere. She grinned at Dipper, who smiled back, before she spoke. "I didn't know you were coming this way! Where are you going?"

"Actually, I was coming to meet you." Dipper responded, scratching the back of his head. MK looked at him with confusion before a smile returned to her face.

"You came here for me? Well, I should've waited! Me and Alex were going through the woods and then something strange happened to him. He passed out and then when he woke up, he went off." MK responded with a shrug before a look of curiosity filled her eyes. "So, how did you find me here?"

"Well... I visited your house and... your brother-" Dipper started, looking down at his feet while scratching his arm.

"You met MC?!" MK yelled out in shock. "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry, Dipper! MC is a jerk to my friends, always has been." MK looked down at her feet, red crossing her cheeks in embarrassment.

"It's not your fault. Callie helped me get him to tell me where you were. By the way, who's Callie?" Dipper asked.

"Oh... Callie's... Callie's our adoptive mom." MK responded while looking at Dipper straight in the eyes. "Steve's our adoptive dad. Usually, we call them 'mom' and 'dad' in front of them but we call them by their first names anywhere else. MC must've really been upset if you found out Callie's name while he was in front of Callie."

"Yeah... I don't think he likes me." A small smile formed on Dipper's face as he looked at MK sheepishly.

"Don't worry, Dipper. He doesn't like anybody. He is just mean, anyways." MK smiled back happily. "Anyways, you didn't come all the way here to be introduced to my family."

"Oh. Right." He replied. "I was wondering if you knew where Undyne's house was."

"Undyne?!" MK yelled out with a smile, a cheerful grin crossing her face at the name of her hero. "You want to see Undyne?! Why?!"

Dipper laughed awkwardly under his breath before speaking. "Well... you see, I want to become strong enough to beat the high score on a game." He responded, scratching his head nervously.

"Ooohhhh... You want to beat Papy, huh?" MK asked with an understanding tone in her voice.

Dipper nodded slowly. "Well, there's no better person to teach ya than Undyne!" MK quickly walked past him, before turning back towards him with a teasing smile when she realized he hadn't followed. "Well, c'mon! I'll bring you to the Fishers."

Dipper walked up beside MK as she cheerfully led the way with a big smile on her face. It was as if the day was always sunshine for MK. It was never rainy. Maybe she felt this way because she always had a poncho on... Did she even notice when it rained?

"Fishers?" Dipper said with a questioning look. MK turned, confused, before realizing why he was asking.

"Sheriff Undyne Fisher! That's her name! Undyne also has a wife. They married a few years ago. It was an awesome ceremony! Undyne almost smashed the cake! She's so cool." MK rambled on, clearly happy to always talk about her mentor.

Dipper merely listened in fascination. He didn't know much about Undyne, so it was nice to know from an Undyne expert. In fact, someone who could make a museum about the sheriff. It would be a very interesting museum, too. He never knew Undyne had a wife. He learned two things from that bit of information: A. Undyne was a lesbian. B. Undyne had a spouse. That, even of itself, was crucial information.

"Who's her wife?" He asked, curious.

"That would be Doctor Alphys Fisher. She's a scientist." MK answered, looking down as if trying to recall more information. "She's a bit of a secretive person. I think it's because Alphys is self-conscious of herself and is anxious all the time. She needs more confidence, according to Undyne."

It was actually quite funny. From what it sounded, Alphys was the exact opposite of Undyne. Undyne was confident and violent, as she was the sheriff of the town. She often called people nerds and viewed herself as an awesome force of nature. Alphys, on the other hand, seemed to be nervous and unsure of herself. According to MK, she wasn't violent or tough and she was a scientist, instead of being apart of the police force.

As the duo continued to talk, they got closer and closer to the Fisher household. As to how Undyne would feel, training a weak armed person like Dipper, he was unsure. There was one thing he was sure about, however.

He was DETERMINED.

Once they approached the Fisher house, that was in the very outskirts of the town, next to the forest, as to protect the town from danger, Dipper realized that it was shaped and painted weirdly. The house seemed to be in the shape of a fish, with the door the mouth and the windows acting as its eyes. The colors were purple and blue, different from the surrounding green landscape.

From inside, he could hear someone playing piano. He hesitated before knocking on the door. Should he really do this? He turned to look for reassurance in MK. She put up two thumbs up and a goofy smile, making him smile back. With a deep breath in, he knocked on the door.

The piano stopped abruptly, as movement was heard throughout the house. Then, the door opened. There, in the door way, was the Sheriff of Gravity Falls. The person who saved Mabel from the Stonewolves. Undyne.

She looked through the door grumpily, until she saw Dipper in front of her. She looked behind him at MK, who seemed to be forced into silence by pure joy. Undyne sighed and shook her head before looking down at Dipper and smiling a toothy grin.

"Hey there, punk!" She said in a gruff, feminine, loud voice. "You're one of the Pines Twins, right?"

"Uh... yeah." Dipper was speechless at how impressive Undyne was up close. Muscles the size of tree branches were on her arms. Everything about her seemed threatening... and strong. Exactly what Dipper wanted. He cleared his throat before introducing himself. "My name's Dipper Pines."

"Well, punk, I can definitely see the resemblance. Do you know a 'Frisk Pines'?" Undyne replied, loudly.

"W-well, I have heard of her. She's my first cousin, once removed." Dipper scratched his arm in worry.

"I'm just joking! I knew you were related to Frisk! I know Sans! Huhuhuhuhuhuh!" Undyne chuckled heartily, before settling down. "Anyway, what's up with a nerd like you visiting me?"

"Well, I want to be strong." Dipper answered, promptly.

"Yeah, well, get in line, punk. Lots of kids wanna be strong like me." Undyne brushed off, pretending to not care about Dipper's request.

"I want to be strong enough to beat Papy at the diner." Dipper immediately burst out, causing Undyne to stare at him in disbelief and confusion. "I noticed you were so close to beating Papy. I was thinking we could join forces and beat him."

Undyne paused for a moment, her red hair jostling in the slight breeze. She seemed hesitant to do it, but he couldn't figure out why. What was up with Papy and why didn't she want to crush his score, like she crushed those Stonewolves. Then, she looked down at him and smiled a big, toothy grin.

"Well, c'mon in, punks! We need to get started on training!" Undyne replied happily. Dipper smiled brightly at the acceptance, as Undyne allowed him to go through the door. However, as he turned towards MK, she seemed sheepish and sad by something. She didn't take a step near the door as she smiled nervously.

"Uhh... Yo, I wish I could train with you, Undyne, but I have to do a family errand. Callie's probably already annoyed at me." MK frowned as she looked down at her feet.

"What's up with the farm? You almost never have errands." Undyne asked, a hint of surprise in her voice, covered up by her confident demeanor.

"Oh, something is eating the vegetables on the farm and I have to catch it, otherwise Steve and Callie will be so mad." MK answered before heading down the road. "Sorry. Maybe we could train later."

Undyne watched her biggest fan ran out of view in silence, before shrugging off her surprise. "Ehhh... one less kid to train. C'mon in, Punk!"

She ushered Dipper into the house. The interior was not as unusual as the outside. To the right was a grand piano, undoubtedly the very instrument that U dyne was playing before he knocked on the door. Ahead of him was a hallway that led to three doors, presumably two bedrooms and a bathroom. To the right was a kitchen and a table to sit at. The table had cut marks in it, as if hit often with a blade. The oven of the kitchen had scorch marks on it. Clearly, some things in the house had seen better days.

"Make yourself comfortable!" Undyne said, surprisingly nicely, despite it being a yell. "Do you want a drink?! We have tea or hot chocolate!"

"Hot chocolate, please." Dipper answered without a prompting from Chara. He seemed to sense Chara's approval of his choice, as happiness spread throughout his body.

Immediately, Undyne went to a cupboard in the kitchen and took out the hot chocolate container. She didn't seem too concerned about the instructions, as she simply took a big heaping scoop of the mix and put it in a cup, ready to be mixed once the water had heated up enough. While she was filling up the kettle with water from the facet, Dipper sat down at the table, right as someone came from one of the doors from the hallway.

A short stout woman in a black with white polka dots came in the room. She had yellowish orange hair that stuck up from her head like spines or spikes. Her eyes were a deep dark brown that was behind a set of round glasses. Her skin seemed to have a bronzish tint to it, making her seem a bit tan. She seemed to slouch and her posture seemed to convey that she was insecure. She seemed to have buck teeth although it did not seem to have a negative effect on her appearance. As she entered the room, she held a DVD container set next to her chest as she searched for Undyne. In her search, she completely skipped over Dipper. She looked at the warrior with admiration.

"S-senpai, are you ready to watch the Mew Mew Kissy Cutie 3?" She asked excitedly, barely stuttering. "I've heard it is... better... than... M-mew mew... t-t..." The woman seemed flustered as she fixed her gaze on Dipper. Her cheeks were red with embarrassment and anxiety. She seemed to try and avert her eyes from Dipper's. They watched each other awkwardly for a moment, with Undyne watching in amusement at the two introverts. Then, once she managed to calm down or compose herself enough, she made eye contact with Dipper and spoke.

"H-hey! ...I d-didn't see y-you there. Heh... heh..." she laughed awkwardly before clearing her throat. "I-I'm D-Doctor Alphys."

"Uhmmm... I am Dipper Pines." He replied, just as awkwardly.

"P-p-pines?! As in..." Alphys trailed off, looking to Undyne for confirmation. Undyne smiled slyly back.

"Yeah. He's Sans' great nephew and Frisk's cousin." She answered casually, something the two socially awkward introverts could not do.

"O-oh... T-that explains... a lot." Alphys replied, laughing a little before looking down at her feet. "W-well, I guess I sh-should... ask you l-later."

"Nah! We should watch it tonight, Alphys!" Undyne reassured her wife, who merely looked at her with nervousness and silent joy.

"W-well, alright. I-I'm going to... get out of your way." With that, the woman left. Dipper was dumbfounded for a while before he resumed watching Undyne prepare his hot beverage as he thought through some things that seemed to cross through his mind.

First, it seemed as though a lot of people knew him. Knew him, not personally, but by his relations to Frisk. It was never, "Hey. That's Dipper Pines. He defeated Oka." It was always, "There's Dipper. He's related to Frisk." He wasn't altogether sure how to feel about this. On the one hand, it was nice to think that some people knew his family personally. On the other hand, he didn't like being compared to and being put up to the same standards as another person. He didn't like it when people treated him the same way as Mabel, and he didn't like it when people did the same thing between Frisk and him.

Frisk. The second thing was that Frisk seemed like a mysterious figure in the background. Someone who's mystery rivaled that of the Author, but only coming out as the second biggest mystery, as he at least knew her name. It seemed that lots of people knew her, and it wasn't just his close friend group and these new characters he had met that knew her. Sometimes, as he passed, people would mutter about him and the Pines, their voices hushed whenever they said the name, "Frisk", as if the name were something to be revered or praised. What did his cousin do that created such a title?

"Here ya go, punk!" Undyne yelled out, startling Dipper out of his thoughts as a mug of the hot drink was placed in front of him with a thud. "Be careful. It's hot."

Dipper, heeding Undyne's words, took a tiny sip of the chocolate. It was absolutely burning and it took all of his willpower to not spit it out or cry out. In his mind, getting the help of Undyne was more important that a couple of tastebuds. Overall, after the burning sensation was gone, the chocolate was good. Undyne sat across from him with a contemplative look on her face.

"So, you want to beat Papy." Undyne muttered under her breath, as if she were finally thinking about it for real.

"Yeah." Was all Dipper could say as he looked down sheepishly into his mug.

"Why?" Undyne asked, looking at Dipper with a serious look.

He paused to think before he answered truthfully. "I just want to prove myself to Sans. He never takes me seriously."

Undyne looked at him for a second before she laughed. Dipper watched in confusion until Undyne stopped to explain. "Look kid, Sans never takes anyone seriously. To be honest, you and your sister are the only kids who he does take seriously. Just take it from a personal friend of Sans. He is serious about his family."

"That still doesn't stop me." Dipper stated, a DETERMINED expression crossing his face. "He must want something from me and this might prove something."

Undyne shrugged. "Hey. I don't see why not. I used to find every excuse to train with Asgore when I was your age. Let's get started!"

"Wait. Now?" Was all Dipper could say before he was grabbed by the head and was carried outside.

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"Oooohhhh! There's a friend I always trust to make my day! What's the name? It's Mikay!" Mabel sang as she continued down the road. As the MK homestead came into view, Mabel smiled brightly at the idea of spending time with MK.

All of a sudden, she felt one of her legs being pulled from under her. She cried out in alarm as she was held upside down in the air by a rope around her ankle that was connected to a tree. She was trapped by a snare. That, of course, was when she heard MK.

"I caught him!" MK cheered as she ran down the dirt path, not once noticing what was actually in the trap. "I wonder what is stealing our..."

MK looked up at Mabel in shock. Mabel smiled happily as red covered MK's cheeks in embarrassment. "Hey! I came to HANG out!" Mabel said, shrugging her shoulders like her Grunkle taught her to. MK didn't laugh, though.

"O...M...G... I am so sorry, M'bel!" It was then that Mabel noticed MK had an axe and with a fluid motion, she threw the axe past Mabel towards the tree, where the rope was. The rope was cut, causing Mabel to fall to the ground with a shout. As Mabel spat out dirt and put her hair back in place, MK crouched down and put her hand out for Mabel. Mabel smiled her usual giddy smile as she allowed MK to help her up.

"I am so so so so so SO sorry!" MK repeated again and again as she untied the rope around Mabel's ankle and retrieved the axe imbedded in the wood.

"Stop being sorry, Mikay!" Mabel replied as she looked MK right in the eyes. "I know you didn't mean to catch me, although you caught a great catch there."

MK giggled a little. "So, what is up with that snare trap anyway?" Mabel asked in curiosity.

"Oh... well, you see, Callie, my adoptive mom, noticed them some creature was stealing and eating carrots from our farm and she asked me to deal with it. I am not a big fan of carrots but, yo! An order's an order." MK answered with a shrug before flashing a friendly smile. "Yo! It must be a Pines day or something, because your bro passed by here a while ago and my brother was an absolute jerk as always."

"I've never met your brother." Mabel said, trying to hint to MK that she wanted to meet him.

"Good. I'd like to keep it that way." MK responded with a flare of hostility towards her brother, rather than Mabel. With that, MK started walking down the path before pausing and turning towards her friend. "Yo! I'm gonna get some rope to make another snare. Do ya wanna help me get this creature?"

"Would I?!" Mabel yelled out in excitement. MK smirked before motioning for Mabel to come over.

They walked side by side as they went towards the farmstead. While making their way, Mabel and MK talked.

"Yo! I have a surprise for you!" MK announced with a mischievous smile.

"Really?! What is it? What is it?" Mabel said, hopping up and down in excitement.

Looking down, MK out her hand in her pocket, which was inside of the poncho as she searched for the surprise. She continued to rummage around inside until she cheered and carefully took out what it was. Then, in a q hi know motion, she showed it to Mabel.

Mabel gasped and covered her mouth in shock. In front of her was a ticket to the premier live showing of Mettaton. She squealed with delight and jumped up and down as she took the ticket from MK's hand.

"No way, Mikay! How did you get this?" Mabel asked, looking down at the ticket in amazement.

"Well, I begged and begged until Callie bought me a ticket, but she didn't want me out there alone, so she didn't buy me one ticket, but tickets for all my friends too." MK said, matter-of-factly with a smug expression on her face.

"Thank you SOOOOOOO much, Mikay! Yay!" Mabel cheered as she brought the ticket close to her chest for a hug. MK laughed a little under her breath.

"I also got one for Dipper." MK replied, before muttering under her breath, "just in case, you know, he's into that sort of thing."

"What did you say?" Mabel asked, wanting to hear what MK said under her breath.

"Nothing!" MK quickly stuttered as sweat came down her forehead in nervousness, although Mabel didn't notice.

"Well, I'll force my bro-bro to come. It's not everyday someone gets to meet Mettaton!" Mabel said happily.

"Yeah." MK agreed with a nod. "I heard he is doing an encore of the popular show, 'Attack of the Killer Robot'! That one is the most popular showing ever!"

"Oh my gosh! I have never seen that show!" Mabel yelled out, causing MK to stare at her in disbelief.

"Really?! Well, I guess you're in for a real treat! That show is the best and it is rarely ever done by Mettaton anymore." MK went on.

"Why's that?" Mabel asked with an astonished look on her face.

MK shrugged. "I dunno." If Dipper were there, it would've been obvious to him that MK was lying about something, but what it was, there was no clue. However, since it was only Mabel there, MK's lie went unnoticed and unquestioned.

At that, the duo finally reached the barn on the other side of the homestead. It was about as stereotypical as it could be. It was like someone looked at a picture of a barn and decided that was the design they would do. MK went to the big double doors and, rather than trying to pull or push the doors in, she tried pushing the right side one to the right. MK groaned in exertion but was relieved when the door slid to the side, showing the inside of the barn.

Most of the floor was covered with hay. There was a whole bunch of crates, however, in the corners and MK immediately went into the dim lit space in the corner and searched through the boxes. Frustrated, she pushed a few out of the way until she found the box she needed and opened it.

"C'mon, M'bel." She shouted to Mabel in excitement. "Now, we can make a whole bunch of traps!"

Mabel didn't hesitate as she dashed over to the boxes. Inside the box was a long length of rope, a net, a couple of stakes, and another axe. MK pulled out the rope and put it over her shoulder before giving Mabel the net. Then, she pulled out the stakes and held the in her hand.

"Now, we're ready to catch the darn animal." MK said happily and DETERMINED.

"Do you know what animal it is?" Mabel asked in curiosity.

"I dunno. I tried catching it but instead, I caught you and that is even better than a carrot snatcher!" MK replied, causing Mabel to blush and wave her hand down, as if saying, "Awwww, you!"

"Let's make an elaborate trap system that will or will not catch the creature!" Mabel exclaimed, putting on a dramatic pose with her right hand, balled into a fist, outstretched forward and her left hand on her hips while she looked to the sky.

"Ooh! Ooh! Let me do a dramatic pose!" MK tried to do the same pose as Mabel, but, finding she didn't look as cool, thanks to her poncho, she opted to just putting both of her hands on her hips.

They stood like that for a while before Mabel said, "We look awesome."

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"...and... one hundred." Undyne counted happily as Dipper, with his weak arms, flopped onto his chest from the amount of push-ups. He panted before he rolled onto his back and taking deep breaths. He wiped the sweat off his brow and closed his eyes. It was tough. His arms felt like they were dying an excruciating death. Well, it was the sacrifice you had to make to find out the secret of the Journal. When he opened his eyes, he found Undyne looking down at him, questioningly.

"What?" He asked, defensively.

"I just don't know how you are tired already. We haven't even done the curl-ups yet!" Undyne yelled out as she looked over the checklist of things to do.

Dipper groaned. "Why do I need to do this training? I mean, you were close on your own. I could just barely push you over the top."

Undyne chuckled. "Ya see kid, I don't JUST want to beat Papy. I want to beat it so hard that no one could beat it again!"

"So... just for that... you want me... to train like this." Dipper muttered under his breath in annoyance.

 _Remember. Chocolate, Sans, Author. Capisce?_ Chara's words echoed. Dipper smirked a little as he rolled his eyes. Of course he remembered all that. Well, at least Chara wanted him to succeed.

"C'mon kid. I'm gonna make you ready for becoming a police officer!" Undyne picked up Dipper by the head, although he felt no pain from it, and placed him on his feet. "200 jumping jacks, pronto!"

"1... 2... 3..." Dipper started counting as he watched Undyne immediately do the jumping jacks with him. Of course, if you mean doing it with him, you mean surpassing him in every way and doing it faster than he was. He sighed. This was going to be dreary. Was it really worth it?

Yes. It had to be. It had to prove to Sans that Dipper was worthy of any secret, no matter how small. Dipper kept his hopes up as he went through the dreary checklist.

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"Okay. So, once we set up these traps, we wait in my house until the animal steals from the traps and finds themselves in a sticky situation. Then, we go in to confront the mighty beast!" MK clarified with a confident grin as Mabel nodded in agreement. They both were looking over a map of the land with Xs over the areas where a trap was. A snare near the forest, a net near the vegetables, and a couple of pit falls here and there.

"Alright! Let's go set up some traps!" Mabel smiled as they both did a high five and split off to form the traps. Mabel mostly did the snares and net traps, as the pit traps required digging and MK assured she could finish the three they had planned in the same amount of time that Mabel could tie up the snares and hang up the netting.

Mabel walked to the tree line and tied up the rope into a snare. As she did, she jumped a little when she heard a rustling in the bushes. Nervously, she looked towards the bushes and into the forest.

"Hello? Anybody there?" She asked, only for silence to answer. Finding that as a source of reassurance, she sighed and went back to tying the snare to the tree. Once the loop was done, she carefully placed a carrot in the center and then admired her handiwork. Afterwards, she went off to the next couple of snares and the net trap, all of which were uneventful. When she returned to the house, MK was there, dirt all over her face and poncho.

"Yo! I finished!" MK said, beaming at how proud she was. Mabel couldn't help but smile back.

"Well, I guess it's time to wait." Mabel replied happily.

"Yup!" MK immediately went to the screen door, opened it, and then opened the real front door and motioned for Mabel. "Come right in, Madame."

"Oh, MK! How civilized!" Mabel responded with a playful smirk as she curtsied and went in, MK following behind her.

The inside of the house was rather nice and homely. To the right was the kitchen with an oven, fridge, and sink, while in front of them was the small living room with a television and a big window that overlooked the entire plot of land. The wall was painted white and the ground was mostly cushioned by rugs on wood flooring. MK went to the left with Mabel not far behind. They went through a small hallway with a bathroom and bedroom before climbing up a staircase to the second story. Taking an immediate right, she went into MK's bedroom.

Mabel gasped in excitement at her surroundings. MK's room greatly contrasted with the rest of the house. Her bedroom walls were a bright blue, as if it were mimicking the sky. Her carpet was a lush lime green. Her bed sat to the right side of the room in an orange and yellow color pallet. The walls were lined with pictures of Undyne, each with inspirational sayings MK had caught Undyne saying. Of course, this meant most of them consisted of "NGGGGHHHHHHH!" which amused everyone. The thing that made Mabel grin, however, was the fact that there were many other pictures in the wall, although none of the pictures outnumbered Undyne's pictures. Some were of Mettaton, others were of boy bands.

In the farther left corner was a bunch of books that ranged from comic books to pre-teen magazines. In the middle of the leftmost wall was a toy chest and beside it was a tall dresser, containing hangers and hangers of ponchos and shirts and pants that presumably went underneath the poncho.

"MK! Your room is AMAZING!" Mabel shouted with glee as she went into the room and flopped on the bed. MK laughed a little as she closed the door behind them and flopped beside Mabel.

"I thought that your room would look... y'know." Mabel said as she sat up on the bed and looked at MK with a serious look.

"A bit more like the rest of the house? Yeah. I get that a lot. This was one of the demands I made if Callie had me live in a farmhouse." MK replied, somberly.

"I never really imagined you as a farm girl." Mabel commented sincerely as she looked at MK, who smiled in response.

"Thanks." MK grinned. "When we moved here, Callie and Steve, my adoptive parents, wanted to live in a farmhouse to live 'simpler'. I asked them to not force us to live in a stinky farm but that's what they did. It wasn't all bad, though. They said I could do anything I wanted with my room if I chose to stay."

"To...stay?" Mabel asked with a questioning look. MK blushed a little from embarrassment.

"Ohhh... yeah. When I was little, I wanted to run away. I wanted to live with Undyne. Anyways, Callie, who actually believed I would do it, made a deal that if I chose to stay in the farmhouse, I would get to design the room however I wanted." MK then extended her room in a "ta-da!" motion. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"Yeah! I love it!" Mabel said as MK stood up from the bed and went to the toy chest.

"Cool!" MK cheered. "Well, since we'll be here waiting for a while, why don't we make a scrapbook so you can take something home at the end of the summer?!"

"OMG! Great idea, Mikay!" Mabel exclaimed as MK pulled out an empty scrapbook and a whole bunch of craft materials, ready to put together the perfect scrapbook.

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"Y'know kid, I'm beginning to think we might pull this off!" Undyne exclaimed happily as she looked down on her pupil. Dipper blushed a little at the recognition. It was true. He had managed to impress Undyne quite a few times. Of course, it wasn't because of his strength, but rather his refusal to give up. It was a quality that Undyne seemed to value in children, and Dipper was no different.

"I was thinking." Dipper looked up at Undyne with a look of puzzlement. Was there... hesitance in her voice? Did she change her mind? "Kid, you try so hard, and I was thinking, what is the difference between ten points and a hundred points ahead of Papy? You have shown me your DETERMINATION, and I think we can do the game tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?!" Dipper shouted, shocked and amazed at how much he managed to impress Undyne. "But I haven't even finished your training!"

"It doesn't matter, Dork!" Undyne brushed off the hesitance in her voice as she spoke. "You have proven to me that you are ready to do this, and if you have proven me that you can do it, then Sans better be ready to do... whatever you want that lazy old man to do."

Dipper stood up from where he was sitting, his muscles burning as he swayed a little from left to right. "T-thank you." He said with a great deal of earnest respect towards the sheriff.

"No problem, punk!" She replied with a big toothy grin. "Now, go home and rest. Don't want you to be worn out before tomorrow!"

Dipper smiled and started walking home as Undyne called out after him, "MEET ME AT LAZY SUSAN'S AT 10:30 AM! NGGGHHHHHH!" Dipper snickered a little as he could tell that Undyne was suplexing a boulder for no other reason than to look cool at that moment.

As he walked through town with burning limbs and sore muscles, he sighed and felt... unsatisfied. How was that possible when he was so close to getting the answers he needed. It was as if, deep in his bones, he knew that something wasn't quite right.

 _"Something wrong, Dipper?"_ Dipper looked beside him to see his companion, looking at him with concern.

He shrugged. "I don't know."

 _"C'mon. Just tell me what you're thinking. It might help figure out what is wrong."_ Chara said supportively.

Dipper hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Do you ever have that feeling where you think you are doing the right thing, but it just feels wrong to you? Like, you feel so sure that it will work but something is missing and you can't figure out what it is?"

Chara stared at him for a moment, sympathy in her gaze. He half-expected the silence to continue forever, but was pleasantly surprised. _"I know what you mean."_ She replied, silently as she looked down at her feet. _"I had a plan like that. I was SO sure it would work, even though it felt wrong, and then it... didn't work."_

"Another memory you don't want to relive?" Dipper muttered, a little bit salty over the fact she wouldn't tell him anything.

 _"I relive it everyday, because that memory is half the reason I am like this in the first place."_ Chara snapped before looking at Dipper with regret. They stayed silent as Dipper approached the Mystery Shack. So much to say but strained in an endless silence. As he opened the door to the Mystery Shack, Chara disappeared.

"hey, kiddo." Dipper turned to his left as he entered the living quarters area of the Shack to see his Grunkle Sans, lounging on the couch as always. The television was on a show Dipper had never seen before and he couldn't help but watch it.

"But Persy! I thought you were my friend!" A girl with brown hair and dark eyes exclaimed to a boy with brown hair and glowing orange eyes.

"I'm sorry." The boy known as Persy said, regretfully. "I really did like you, but I have to do this to save the world." With that, the girl and Persy fought one-on-one with magical swords, blasters, and shields.

"What show is this?" Dipper asked in curiosity.

"i dunno, kid. i just kinda flipped through until i found it. call it fate or luck, but i say that it just SHOW-ed up." A rimshot played out of nowhere, despite the fact Sans barely moved an inch. Truly, he was very tired. With a quick tap of the button, the TV was turned off and Sans actually sat upright as he looked at Dipper with concern.

"look, kid. i just wanna know what ya did today. i wanna make sure your safe." Sans said with a hint of worry that could barely be heard.

"I was just with Undyne. I wanted to train with her to do something." As Dipper replied, Sans seemed to destress and continue to lounge on the couch.

"what, 'thing' are ya training for?" Sans asked, lazily as he pulled out a red bottle and started drinking from it.

This was Dipper's chance to prove to Sans his worth. He was ready to drop the bombshell. "Undyne and I are thinking of beating Papy on the strength game at Lazy Susan's!"

Sans looked startled for a moment as he began to cough and sputter, as the liquid he was drinking went the wrong way. As he began to regain control over his voice and throat. He looked at Dipper with shocked eyes.

"you're gonna WHAT?!" Sans yelled out, causing Dipper to grin.

"Yeah. The two of us are going to beat Papy." Dipper said, full of confidence but his mind became full of confusion when Sans spoke.

"please don't, dipper." Sans replied suddenly, causing Dipper to look at him, first in shock, then with hostility.

"What?!" Dipper shouted in surprise. "Why?!"

"i'm beggin' ya, kid. please don't." Was all Sans could plead.

Hot red fury filled Dipper. Enough was enough. His Grunkle had hidden secrets from him for so long and now he won't even give Dipper a chance to prove himself? "What? You don't think I'm strong enough to beat it with Undyne?!"

Sans' head spun towards Dipper's, utterly shocked. Then, it changed, not into a look of anger, but of desperation and pleading. "please, kid. it ain't that. you are stronger than most people think. just don't do it."

"Well then what is the problem? Do you not want to see me succeed?! Do you really want me to fail that badly?!" Dipper yelled in outrage. Sans was about to respond before he interrupted again. "No. I'm going to get that high score and you aren't going to stop me."

With that, Dipper walked steadily and silently up the stairs to his room. Sans wanted to explain. Every bone in his body did, but he knew Dipper wasn't in the mood to listen. Sans sat there in an anguished expression before he put his right hand over his eyes and moved his fingers to look like he was pinching his nose. He sighed before opening them. He needed someone to listen and luckily, he knew someone who would always listen and understand and as soon as the door to Dipper and Mabel's room closed with a soft click, Sans got up and went out of the Shack towards the school.

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MK rubbed the sleep out of her eyes as she woke from her nap. She looked to the right of her to find Mabel, also asleep. The two of them had finished their scrap booking and went on to come up with other ideas, before they found themselves back-to-back, asleep. MK looked out her curtains and found the startling realization that it was about the time that Mabel should go home for dinner.

With the responsibleness of a best friend, she nudged Mabel lightly, whispering, "Mabel." lightly until Mabel opened her eyes, yawned, and rubbed her right eye.

"Mmm?" Mabel grunted in response as she looked at MK.

"Sorry. No creature, but it's time for you to go home, I think." MK replied with a hint of disappointment.

As if energy magically filled Mabel, she perked up and picked up her newly-made scrapbook. Then, she and MK were at the front door, saying goodbye. "Thank you, Mikay, for the fun time!"

"No problem. Sorry if it wasn't interesting." MK said sheepishly as she looked down at her feet.

"What?! No! That was so much fun! Maybe we can catch the thief tomorrow! I'll come by again!" Mabel proposed happily.

"OMG! That would be awesome!" MK replied happily. "Oh! I also forgot to give you this. My mom asked me to give it to you while you were asleep."

Mabel went to get the item and in MK's hand was a carrot from the farm, washed, fresh, and ready to be eaten. Mabel didn't mind the present and decided that it could be used as a good snowman nose in winter. "Thank you, Mikay!" She yelled out as she hugged her best friend.

When they broke away, MK waved goodbye.

"Alright then!" Mabel cheered before she started off the porch. "See ya tomorrow!"

Mabel walked along the path happily. It had been an absolutely great day. First the diner, then an entire day spent with MK while making a scrapbook and waiting for an elusive beast to take the bait and become trapped. In other words, an absolutely normal day. However, Mabel was brought out of her thoughts when she heard a rustling in the bushes.

Mabel looked at the nearest bush in suspicion before watching it move again, startling her. Carefully, she held her carrot like someone who held a club and tiptoed softly towards the source of the sound. The rustling didn't stop, nor did it move. It just stayed there. Once she reached the bush, she cautiously tried to part back the leaves of the bush to get a good look at the creature and gasped at what she saw.

Inside was the most adorable creature she had ever set sights one. It wasn't a cat, dog, or even a unicorn. It was a pink pig. Mabel was immediately overcome by cuteness. The pig was there, looking for food in the bushes. However, when it caught sight of her, the pig squealed and ran behind a rock.

"No! Wait!" Mabel cried out as the pig just stood there, trying to blend in to the rock. Smiling a little at what good fortune she had, Mabel went up slowly towards the rock as to not agitate the pig. Then, she put out her carrot as a sign for food.

The pig seemed hesitant at first, cautious not to take food from strangers. However, the appeal of food was too much to refuse and the pig was soon nibbling on the carrot. Mabel giggled a little.

"You are so cute!" Mabel said to the pig as the pink creature snorted in response. "I want you to be mine."

Once the carrot was finished, the pig, though still careful, came closer to Mabel and brushed up against her hand. Mabel awww'd as she pet the pig on the head. As she continued, however, she realized it was getting late.

She stood up and looked down at the pig. The pig sat on its hind legs with the most pathetic look on its face. Mabel wanted to die right then. "I'm sorry, new friend. I can't stay here. You probably don't want to be around the road at night. Y'know. Cars and stuff." The pig seemed to understand and reluctantly run off. Mabel sighed as she continued towards home.

She hoped to see the pig again some day.

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Toriel looked contemplative after hearing Sans' story, trying to process how to respond. Then were sitting across from each other in Toriel's private room, complete with a kitchen and a table that the two of them were sitting at, look across from each other, occasionally taking sips from the tea Toriel had brewed. Finally, Sans sighed and spoke.

"i dunno, tori. i'm just conflicted." Sans said as he put his head and shoulders down on the tables, as if he were planning on sleeping there. "the problem is is that i am not that good with kids anymore and i knew you knew how to raise kids, one way or a-MOTHER. heh." No laughter rang out, nor did a rimshot play as Toriel seemed to try and find a solution. They sat in silence for a while before Toriel straightened her posture and looked at Sans with empathy.

"Sans, I understand how it feels to lose someone." Toriel replied in her calm and motherly voice, immediately soothing all of Sans' worry. "You lost your brother and I lost almost all of my children, other than Frisk. I understand that you want to keep every bit of his legacy, even the parts that seem unimportant to some. I understand that feeling."

Sans looked up at Toriel with silent sadness in his eyes as she continued. "However, your brother is gone and now, you have other people to take care of. Dipper and Mabel. It is wonderful to take care of these people, but the problem is is that sometimes, it requires getting rid of your loved one's past. That was hard for me when the other children fell, but that isn't all bad. You make way for your new loved ones to make their legacy that, at one point, could be greater than the legacy of the person you lost. Sometimes, you just have to let go of some things, so that then your heart is ready to accept these kids for who they are and make them happy." She finished as she took a sip of tea.

Sans closed his eyes and sighed sadly. "i love those kids, tori, but i don't wanna let go of Paps just yet."

"I never said to let go of your brother." Sans' eyes snapped open in surprise as he looked at her with curiosity. A small smile crept up on her face. "Oh no. Never let go of your loved ones who are gone. You can let go of some of their legacy, but letting go of a loved one means forgetting them and losing the hope that they would ever come back. I never said to let go of your brother, but I am saying this: If you give Dipper and Mabel a space in your heart to make a legacy of their own, you will find that your brother is not gone."

Sans looked down at his hands, shocked as he realized Toriel had just took his hand and was holding it. He blushed a little in his nervousness as they both looked into each other's eyes, before she delivered her powerful statement in a slow but powerful voice, making sure each word hit its mark in Sans.

"Papyrus lives on in them."

They continued to stare into each other's eyes as Sans felt the words start to sink in. Maybe he was stopping Dipper from making a name for himself. Maybe he was harsh and maybe he did act like he valued his bro more than he valued to Twins. He was selfish, and now he knew how he could fix everything.

"...how did you get so wise, tori?" Sans stated in a playful voice as a smirk went across his face.

She giggled a little before responding. "It's par for the the course, I'm afraid. Once you've been a mother for hundreds of years, you learn a thing or two."

"so, would you say you are the MOTHER OF THE CENTURY?" Sans said with a wink, as Toriel laughed, causing Sans to chuckle too.

"Still, I think that you are coming along as a parental figure." Toriel replied sincerely, completely surprising Sans before a teasing expression crossed her face. "It's almost like you are trying to become responsible or something."

"me? are we sure we're talkin' about the same guy?" Sans answered with a chuckle.

"Oh please, Sans." She responded as she rolled her eyes with a smile. "You don't take enough credit. You helped raise your brother and you helped raise Frisk with me. If anything, I would think he would be proud of you for raising his grandchildren, even for just the summer."

"yeah. that's why i am trying harder than I have before." Sans said, looking down at his hand that was being held by Tori's.

"And that's how I know that you will do a great job with your skele-TON of responsibilities." With that, Toriel kissed Sans on the head, immediately causing Sans to freeze up with a startled expression on his face. She giggled at Sans.

"t-thanks, t-tori, for the advice." Sans stuttered as he got out of his chair and went towards the door, blush covering his cheeks.

"Good luck." Toriel replied while waving goodbye. "Be sure to give Dipper some time before..."

"yeah... i know. thanks anyway." Sans replied as he left Toriel's house.

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Breakfast was awkward, to say the least. Mabel and Dipper had come down for breakfast with just a note, saying that Sans was in his room and that their omelettes were at their places. Mabel didn't talk much, for she sensed something was wrong between Sans and Dipper. Situations like that seemed to happen more frequently. It was odd. Being Dipper's twin sister, she knew that he was not usually hot-headed, and yet he seemed to snap more frequently. She worried, but she merely tried to ignore it with each bite of the omelette.

Dipper was silent as he tried to process what happened yesterday. Secretly, although he didn't care to admit it, he wished Sans was there. Despite how often he snapped at his Grunkle, he found himself enjoying every minute he was just hanging out with Sans. Sans must just have that property where even when you're mad at him, you come to love him as a family member. It was for these reasons that Dipper wished he were actually there. He wanted to apologize for everything.

After finishing his plate, Dipper swallowed his silent pride as he went upstairs to his Grunkle's room. As he reached it, however, he was surprised to find a note on the door. Confused, he pulled it off and read it.

 _"dipper-_

 _sorry about how i acted yesterday. it wasn't fair for me to expect you to just give up everything for my sake. beat that game and prove your bad to the bone, ok?_

 _-sans"_

In surprise, he read it again, wondering if he read it wrong the first time. Upon finding it to be the same, he expected to feel glad. Unfortunately, he didn't. Why didn't he feel happy? Deep down, however, he knew. It was the dread that Sans wouldn't tell him the answers he was looking for, even with that stupid game. Still, Undyne counted on him, and Dipper wasn't one to disappoint.

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Mabel was quietly nervous on her way to MK's house. She really worried about her brother. There must be something she could do. She couldn't be utterly useless. She sighed before trying to cheer up her mood. She was going to see MK, which was always a blast, no matter what.

"MAAABBBEEELLLL!" A loud shout rang out, startling Mabel. Immediately, a four-legged creature in a brown potato sack with two eye-holes, labeled, "Carrots", ran out into the road next to Mabel. Mabel cried out as she got out of the way of the strange creature, before realizing she was in the way of the pursuer. Out of the woods, MK ran after the creature, tripping over a bush that surrounded the road and falling on her face. However, she quickly got up using her hands and continued to give chase. Upon seeing the questioning look on Mabel's face, she immediately responded with, "CARROT STEALER! YOU GET BACK HERE!"

Immediately, Mabel realized what was going on and, with a mile-wide grin, decided to give chase. Being pretty fast, she caught up to MK and started running beside her.

"Mikay... *huff*... What's the plan?" Mabel asked quickly as they followed the creature as it went towards the homestead.

"It's going towards the farmhouse! There's plenty of traps there! Let's hope he'll spring one!" MK replied quickly. Immediately, they both knew the plan. Continue to chase the mysterious snatcher until it fell into a trap.

As they continued to give chase, the mysterious animal went near the farmhouse, where there were many different kinds of flowers. Well, at least before the carrot snatcher went through them. MK, however, avoided the flowers completely before yelling in anger, "HEY! THOSE ARE CALLIE'S FLOWERS!"

"Mikay! There's a snare next to the barn, if we can manage to lead him there!" Mabel proposed, pointing to a small tree next to the barn with a delicately placed snare underneath it. MK nodded in response and tried to get beside the animal to steer it, much like a sheepdog would.

Quickly, and to the relief of the pursuers, the animal went to the left, towards the tree and the barn. MK then went behind the creature once it had turned enough to satisfy them. Sure enough, it was heading towards the snare. It seemed they they were going to catch the creature red-handed.

Unfortunately, the creature jumped over the snare and what was even more of a bummer was the fact that MK, who was to the right of Mabel, was too close to the animal to realize that in time and ran right into the trap. She tripped over rope and fell onto the freshly watered lawn, mud splattering all over pants and poncho. She looked frustrated for a second, then a shocked look as the snare did its work and pulled her backwards and into the air so that she was hanging upside down by her right foot. MK, now with mud on her face, had the expression that seemed to say, "...Really?"

"I'LL AVENGE YOU, MIKAY!" Mabel yelled out as she continued to chase the carrot stealer.

Meanwhile, MK just continued to have the same expression on her face as Mabel ran off.

"Do I even want to ask?" A familiar voice said, as MK looked beside her to find Alex.

"It's a long story. Where have you been, anyway? You left me and Undyne hanging there yesterday." MK replied with a slightly annoyed look.

"HANGING there? That was subpar, even by my standards." Alex responded with a playful smirk.

"Oh har de har." MK answered, clearly not in the mood. "Are you gonna help me down or not?"

"Woah!" Alex said defensively, his hands in front of him. "I see I struck a nerve. I'll get you down now."

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Mabel was running all over the property. Unfortunately, she wasn't anywhere near the location of a trap she could remember off the top of her head. All she could do was continue to follow the animal until it was tired. A downfall of this strategy was the fact that, even after a perfectly delicious omelette, Mabel was still not prepared for the amount of energy it required and she was getting exhausted faster than the animal was.

With an exasperated sigh, she stopped, allowing the creature to escape. She gasped and panted as she fell to the floor in a sitting position. She hugged her knees together as she tried to catch her breath. Sweat beaded on her forehead. Still, she hadn't quite processed the realization that she had let the carrot snatcher go. For now, all she knew was that she was tired. She closed her eyes and was half tempted to fall asleep.

That is until she heard a noise in front of her. Opening her eyes, she was surprised to find the creature, still hidden by the potato sack, sitting in front of her like a dog. With a careful and steady hand, she took off the sack and gasped. It was the pig she had met the previous night. The markings were similar, even the darkly colored patch around one of its eyes.

"Awwww... It's you!" Mabel stated as she went to pull the pig close to her chest. The pig didn't try to escape, fully trusting his human companion. The pig oinked softly in response to the hug. Immediately, Mabel knew she wanted to keep her pig friend. It could be her pet. Her responsibility, and her pal when she had no one else.

"No way! You caught it!" MK shouted as she approached Mabel with a giant grin. The pig squealed from the scare, realizing that the girl approaching Mabel was the same one who chased it.

"Shhhh... She won't harm you. She's my friend." Mabel cooed softly, immediately easing the pig's fears.

"Good job, Mabel!" She smiled as Alex came next to MK as they bother congratulated her.

"Dude! I should've known it was that pig! He escaped earlier this summer!" MK said in amazement. "I guess I should've known you would come back to us!"

"So... this pig... is yours?" Mabel replied silently, her expression downcast.

"Yup. He's quite the pig. What were you doing, stealing Callie's precious vegetables?" MK answered playfully.

"Wait... I like this pig..." Mabel looked down at the pig, who seemed to agree with their thought. "MK! Can I keep him?!"

The red-haired girl looked at Mabel in surprise before smiling brightly and shrugging. "He's all yours. I'll just tell Callie I caught something else, 'cause she would flip if she found out I gave away that pig."

"Oh thank you, MK!" Mabel cheered happily as she hugged the pig tighter.

"I've gotta go get rid of those traps! See ya guys later!" MK waved as she left to fill in the pit trap. Meanwhile, Alex, Mabel, and the pig were all alone.

"So, whatcha gonna call him?" Alex asked with an admiring smile.

Mabel barely had to think. It was an easy answer. "I'm going to name him Waddles, 'cause he waddles!" The pig oinked in agreement.

"A perfect name for a perfect pig." Alex laughed. "Anyways, I better to help MK and straighten some things with her. Enjoy your new friend!" With that, Alex went the same way as MK had gone before and she was left alone with her new pet.

Actually, Waddles was anything but just a pet. He was her companion, her comrade, her family member, her sidekick, and most of all, her platonic soulmate.

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"Alright, kid. We've got ground to cover. Ya feeling ready?" Undyne immediately shouted once Dipper went through the door into the diner. He still felt unsure of himself. Sure, he felt like Undyne and him could do it, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to anymore.

"Yeah." was all Dipper replied with. Luckily, Undyne didn't seem to notice as she seemed to boast around the diner so that a crowd could be there to watch them win. Meanwhile, Chara joined his side.

 _"C'mon, Dipper. This isn't rocket science. Just finish the job, and get those chocolates!"_ Chara said as a sort of inspirational speech, which didn't exactly make Dipper feel any better.

"Alright, kid!" Undyne yelled out with a crowd in tow. "Let's get this done fast so we can enjoy the winnings." Then, Undyne looked contemplative.

"Here's an idea. How about you hit first, so that I can get an idea as to how well your training has gone. Plus, it isn't everyday you have a chance to beat your grandpa." Undyne replied with her trademark Undyne grin.

"G-grandpa?" Dipper stuttered in surprise, causing Undyne to look at him with confusion. "You mean, Sans' bro-"

"Brother? Yeah. Papy was your grandfather. He got the high score, and now you have a chance to be better than him! C'mon, punk! Don't bail out on me now!" Undyne yelled out, less in anger and just more the fact she almost always yelled.

Everything clicked in Dipper's head. Sans wasn't denying Dipper his support. He was trying to protect one of the parts of his brother's legacy. In his mind, he was trying to protect an important part of his brother's history, and Dipper was about to ruin it. Also, Dipper never knew his grandpa. All he knew was that he was gone a few months before he and his sister were born. It felt terrible to destroy the high score of his grandpa, who he never knew and but wished he did.

However, there was another thing Dipper needed to consider. He needed to consider the fact that Sans eventually let him have his chance at the game. It confused him. Why did Sans do that when his brother meant so much to him? It didn't make any sense. Then again, if Sans relented, then does that mean he doesn't care about it anymore? Maybe he wants the high score to be broken.

In the end, that resolved Dipper's conflict.

 _*You are filled with DETERMINATION!_

"Give me the hammer." Dipper said in a serious manner, his eyes not at all visible because it was covered by the brim of his hat. One of the spectators gave him the hammer with no hesitation as he took his step near the podium. Everything was silent in the diner as the spectators watched the twelve-year-old boy take deep breaths.

Soon, those breaths became panting, before suddenly, he lifted the hammer over his head quickly, revealing his eyes for a split second before he was to strike the target. Undyne was shocked, not at the fact he was so sudden, but at the fact that Dipper's eyes were not his regular dark brown color, but rather a dim red, glowing slightly that only a few individuals could pick out. With that, he hit the podium with an ear splitting "THUNK!"

He gasped and panted, his head looking down on the ground as he leaned against the podium. Nobody spoke as he lifted his head and straightened his posture. He opened his eyes, now back to its normal dark brown, as he watched the screen. It was calculating the amount of force and the entire crowd watched in suspense as the number got higher and higher until...

The number stopped at 1,611,626. The diner burst into a thunderous applause as caps were flung into the air, including a pink one that seemed to differ from the rest. Dipper couldn't believe it. He did it without Undyne's help? It was truly incredible. However, he didn't know how Undyne would take it. He turned around, half expecting Undyne to snap at him, only to find she was beaming with pride.

"See him? I trained that punk!" She was yelling at a diner before she turned to Dipper. "Wow, kid! I didn't know ya had it in ya!"

"Looks like you get plenty of chocolate while you're here!" Dipper turned to see Lazy Susan beside him, smiling happily.

Dipper loved all the attention, and yet... he still wasn't satisfied.

It wasn't that this wasn't a big accomplishment, but something felt wrong. Papy was defeated. Dipper felt more remorse and regret than joy and glee. Would his grandfather be proud of him? Would Grunkle Sans ever forgive him? No. He wouldn't. By doing the very thing he hoped to accomplish, he had alienated his Grunkle, decreasing his chances of finding out any secrets. In the end, it made him feel more miserable.

As everyone celebrated by eating more pancakes than usual, Dipper had to put in a name for his high score. The thing is, the guilt didn't help. The name would always be below his and it would just make Sans more sad. Dipper had many names to put in. Dipp, Dips, and DipD were the names he reluctantly went with when he dealt with video game nicknames. Still, the guilt ruined everything and he couldn't bear to put it in. In the end, he left, feeling unhappy, unaccomplished, and hopeless.

His Grunkle would never tell him his secrets. Not after this. As he left the diner, his head forever frozen in a state of looking down at the ground, he would always remember how he hurt Sans, how he won over Papy, and how he put in for his high score the mix of his name and the previous champion.

Dipy

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Dipper and Mabel were fast asleep, when Chara formed. She sat in the middle of the floor, the moonlight falling on her from the window. She was looking down at the ground, remorse in her eyes. She was weary, but she wanted to be the hero.

Then, she made a ghostly red knife, conjured up, not from her soul, which didn't exist anymore, but rather Dipper's soul. She cautiously looked over to Dipper, who slept soundly. Then, in a swift motion, she slashed it along the palm of her right hand. She winced. Though she was a ghost, ghostly weapons could cut a ghost that was not born a ghost just as easy as a normal knife could cut through a mortal.

Black liquid oozed from the cut, though she didn't care about the pain. It was the start of a ritual. A ritual for her ticket to become a martyred hero. She stared up into the sky as the knife disappeared. In a hushed whisper, she worded a sentence soundlessly.

"One more to go."

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"...Right then, that kid looked a lot like Frisk with those eyes. Frisk barely opened her eyes but... man. That punk. When she opened her eyes, they were always red."

"heh. they're just the kids that remind us of everyone, aren't they?"

"Yeah... Sans, you know, you don't have to follow the orders of the stupid Monster Council. Heck, we're both a part of the Council. You don't have to follow that order-"

"i wasn't plannin' on followin' it."

"Well, I support ya, ya big dork. Just... tell them soon."

"i will. i'm just waiting for the right moment. i need them to trust me enough to understand."

"Well, it should happen soon. I have a bad feeling about what is coming, and my premonitions are almost always right."

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Xoz Bkabo: ZEXOX PQOFHB YXZH. Exsb crk txfqfkd!

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 **A/N OMG guys! I get to write the first extra long chapter! Yeeeee! I also get to show you my sucky drawing skills! Yeeeeee! I am so excited guys! There's also the start credits, where you guys get to listen to awesome music and imaginate stuff happening just like in the beginning credits! AKA, the part where I wish I was an animator. Anyways, I put a poll on my account that asks for a threatening name and I please ask that you vote, cause it will affect the story, in a way. Anyways, I'm sorry if this is subpar, but I am so excited for the next one! Can you blame me? We get major plot stuff! Like, super plot stuff. It is so hard to write this without giving spoilers! Lucky for me, one more chapter and it won't exactly be spoilers anymore! Anyways, thank you guys so much for waiting. This one took longer because, if I'm honest, I was bored of this one, but then I decided to add more stuff, and then it became interesting. Anyways, bare with me while I write this extra long chapter, cause it will be basically 2 chapters. I might even have to write it as two chapters, if this website can't handle it. Sorry if this doesn't live up to your expectations but I love ya all too much to leave you waiting for too long for the next one (even though it will still take a long time). Till next time, my dudes!**


	8. CHARA Strike Back (Arc Ender 1)

_**Movie Starting Credits Thing! (Skip if you don't want spoilers so you can do Ending Credits!)**_

 _ **Key:**_

 _ **Bold and Italicized: Words on Movie Screen**_

 **Underlined and Bold: Music Used**

Regular: What you would see on screen

 **Bold: Times on the video (if you need them)**

 **Music: Orchestral Megalo Strike Back by Tristan Gray**

As the music starts, the dark screen gets subtly lighter as it shows an environment much like space, with the stars being replaced with little peepholes. Everything in this area is floating. As the choir comes in, the camera focuses on a floating object that looks humanoid, floating in on their back with their knees to their chest.

The music gets loud and foreboding as the camera gets closer to the humanoid quickly. The humanoid looks like it it asleep, with long hair. As the music reaches its last couple of notes, it focuses on its closed eyes, until as the last note rings, the eye opens up for a split second before the screen fades to black with silence.

As the bell rings at **0:28** to start the beginning theme of the music, words in white appear on the screen. _**A Blast of Fanfics Presents**_

As the theme repeats again, this time with a music box at **0:36** , the words change again. _**A Gravity Falls: SANS-ational Tale Exclusive Feature**_

With a giant staccato, the other instruments join in at **0:42** , giant words appear in white, announcing the name of the movie. _**CHARA STRIKE BACK**_. As the first theme continues to play its first time, the surrounding black screen cracks, as if when the words were cut out, they compromised the stability of the screen, white light coming through the cracks.

As the theme repeats at **0:49** , the black screen breaks to show a side view from the ruins. Light is shining down from a hole in the ceiling onto some golden flowers as a girl in a green and yellow sweater falls down, a little slowly for effect, from the hole. When she hits the ground, the music starts a different theme at **0:56** as flowers block the view, immediately changing the surroundings.

Only one flower stays on a desk with light streaming down. Almost immediately, a hand brushes the flower out of the way of the paper he was writing on as the camera flashes to a boy with brown hair under a blue and white cap with a pine tree on it. He is sitting on a chair, with small movements of his hand. Behind his back are black words. _**MASON "DIPPER" PINES**_. As the song is about to move on, a transparent silhouette appears beside his ear on the side of him that is not near the camera, whispering secrets in his ear. Around **1:02** , the camera seems to turn around quickly with the music as it switches to a different scene.

Starting at **1:03** , the screen shows a girl around the same age as the boy with brown hair, extending her arms out to her sides to show off her striped sparkly sweater. She is grinning wide and to her left is Waddles, who she is showing off to. To the right of her, it says, _**MABEL PINES**_ _._ About halfway through her part, however, the screen glitches, replacing Mabel occasionally with what looks like a goat-boy in a green and yellow sweater, turning to dust.

About **1:10** , the camera cuts to a boy with brown hair and yellow eyes, sitting on the floor, watching Mabel with admiration. However, behind him, his shadow turns into a mini-silhouette into a standing up with a cowboy hat on and a cut drawn, aiming at something. _**ALEXTISGR8 AS ALEX TOLLESON**_. The screen glitches too, showing Alex's stats. It says, **LV 2** , and his hands are covered in dust.

The camera, at **1:17** , cuts to a tall woman, with spring green eyes and white hair. She is smiling and is wearing a dress with a circle with wings above three triangles on it. **TORIEL** is all it says. Then, she too glitches, as she occasionally changes into a goat-looking creature with long ears and white fur. However, she isn't happy and has a next cut across her stomach, causing her to bend over. She is slowly turning to dust.

Then, the camera focuses on the symbol on her dress at **1:23** , its dark image filling the screen for a moment, before it became a part of a window. The camera zooms out to show multiple windows exactly the same in a golden hallway. As it does, it shows the shadows of two figures.

One looks like a human with a knife in hand to the left of the camera, while the other looks like certain skeleton to the right. The human runs up to the skeleton to strike him, but the skeleton seems to teleport to his right, so that the human has their arm stretched out with a knife. The human slashes to their left to retaliate the skeleton, although this time, the skeleton didn't teleport, and instead ducked forwards, so that the knife went right over his back. While he did that, he summoned bones to strike the human's legs, only for the human to dodge it by stepping to their right. Then, the skeleton transported right in front of them, and summoned a weird looking skull that blasted a beam that hit the human and killed them.

At **1:30** , the camera turns to the left, to find that they are in the actual Judgement Hall. Golden light is streaming in from the windows as it focuses in on the Delta Rune.

Then, the camera seemed to look like a cameraman walking, as the camera was pointed towards the ground as they walked quickly around **1:36**.

The camera lifts its gaze onto another frozen scene at **1:37**. Mabel has tears in her eyes with a confused expression on her face, as behind her is a big woman with red hair in a ponytail and an eyepatch. She looks betrayed and unhappy, but ready to battle if needed. _**UNDYNE FISHER**_

The scene cuts to a frozen scene of two people at **1:44**. One is a man with light brown hair, a green hat, and a green shirt with a giant question mark. He looks just as confused as Mabel, but also surprised. In front of him is a teenage girl with red hair in a green plaid shirt. Her mouth is wide open in pure shock. _**SOOS AND WENDY**_

The camera zooms out to catch everyone's expression as the song quotes down a little at **1:51**.

With a swift 180 degree turn, the scene changes to show what everyone is looking at in amazement at **2:12**. In front of them all is a skeleton with a permanent smile etched on his round face. Beside him are two of the weird skull looking lasers, charging up their beams as blue light poured out of their mouths. The skeleton looked to be regretful and sad, as if he didn't want to do this. _**FEATURING SANS THE SKELETON!**_

At **2:18** , the camera turns around again to show Sans' opponent. In front of him is none other than Dipper, except his eyes are glowing red, his shirt is a green and yellow striped sweater, and he has a red necklace around his neck. He is holding a red knife in his hand with a creepy smile. It is no longer Dipper anymore. _**AND CHARA THE FIRST FALLEN!**_

Around **2:25** , the camera zooms in on the red knife, which reflects back a terrified Dipper, trapped in what seems like the blade. _**DT KNIFE AS BEST BOY! WOULDN'T HAVE A FIGHT SCENE WITHOUT YOU, KNIFE!**_

Then, the knife is flung at Sans, where it is shown flying through the air in slow motion for a while before it hits one of Sans' dragon skulls, before zooming in on his face and glowing blue eye. This happens around **2:32**. _**FIGHT SCENES BY GASTER BLAST!**_

The camera focuses on Dipper/Chara's face for one of the dramatic notes, his face as crazed as ever as he readies himself for the next move. The next dramatic note shows Sans' face, showing sweat beading on his forehead and his blue eye glowing brightly, and yet looks reluctant to fight.

Then, the camera zooms to the side of the combatants, with Dipper/Chara to the left and Sans to the right, now just in black and white silhouettes. With the next dramatic note, Chara summons a knife in his hand. Finally, at the last dramatic note, it cuts to the same silhouettes but with Chara jumping in the air, ready to strike but also with Sans summoning Gaster Blasters aimed at Chara and charging up.

At **2:46** , the music changes to just a music box chiming, with nothing on screen, as if trying to put emphasis on the part played.

Once the piano and string instrument come on to join it, words appear on the dark screen once again. _**CHARACTERS CREATED BY ALEX HIRSCH AND TOBY FOX**_.

The words change once again at **2:59** , to _**MUSIC BY TRISTAN GRAY**_

Once it is silent, the last words show up as a rumble of drums sound. _**STORY BY BLAST**_.

Then, the words come up close and once the camera goes through the words, the first scene plays out.

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 _"There are moments in our lives that really change us as people. For some, it's first day of school. Others, it's marriage or their first kid. The memories that changed me, however, were in a humble setting. Gravity Falls, Oregon during the summertime. With everything so perfect, what could possibly go wrong?"_

"Alright. Time to get some real work on who the Author is." Dipper announced as he put a pen behind his ear and faced the cork boards by his bed. Kneeling on his bed, he put a picture on the board and put a thumbtack through it so that it was stuck in the middle. The image itself was of the front cover of the Journal he kept hidden from most.

Then, he put a circle around it in a red marker. He smiled, happy at his creation. "I'm going to analyze every one of these pages until I get an answer."

Mabel was in the room too, reading a preteen magazine on the floor. She looked up at Dipper with a concerned look. "Dipper, you aren't gonna get all research crazy, are you? You need sleep."

"No. I never rest when there are answers to mysteries in my very grasp, Mabel." Dipper replied with a stern and concentrated look on his face.

"But weren't you going to ask Sans?" Mabel asked, trying to distract Dipper from one of his research endeavors. He did these all-nighters often, even with fiction books. One time, he wanted to figure out the criminal in a mystery book and went 48 hours without sleeping. He did accurately find out who the suspect was in the book with the few pages he had read, but at the cost of bags under his eyes, poor judgement, and a mentality of eating his T-shirt.

"Mabel, Sans will never be impressed with me. I am a failure in his eyes, so I must find the Author and maybe he could tell me his secrets." Dipper answered as he put up a photo, pinned it up, and connected it to one of the strands of red yarn connected to the Journal. Then, he took out his pen from behind his ear and circled something in the photo.

"That's not true, Dipper." Mabel inched towards Dipper and was right behind him as she spoke. "When you told him you beat the game, he took us out to Grillby's!"

"Grillby's does not make up for answers, Mabel!" Dipper snapped as his head turned towards Mabel with a frustrated look on his face, which switched to a look of regret immediately.

"True, but Sans must have a reason for not telling us. Maybe he will tell us in time, like our dad did that one time." Mabel shrugged with an unsure smile. Her smile disappeared, however, as she remembered the hidden vow they made one day that she had kept until today. When their dad took them aside and told them an answer they never really wanted but they needed to know, it didn't really affect them as much, but it seemed it would affect Sans and everyone else on that side of the family if they dared bring it up. It was a vow never spoken but understood all the same.

Mabel tried looking over her brother's shoulder to catch a glimpse of any evidence at all. Dipper either didn't seem to notice or he didn't care, as he continued to analyze page after page of the Journal, taking note of things in his mind.

She sighed. "Have any leads?"

Dipper, for once, seemed happy to share, as he turned to his sister with a pondering look. "Actually, I have a few."

"Care to explain?" Mabel urged, as she sat beside her brother.

"Well, first, upon further analysis, I have found that this Journal doesn't have just one Authors, but two different ones. Let me show you." Dipper flipped until he found a random page and pointed out the handwritten script on that page. It was rather neat and tidy, with little error in the look of the letters, that it almost looked like someone had typed it up, rather than written it in pen.

"This is one type of handwriting. Notice how it is fluid and neat." He then flipped through the pages again and found another page. He, again, pointed to a handwritten note in the margins. This time, the handwriting was different. It seemed almost the opposite of the first example, as it seemed to be lazily written with no care for organization or errors. In fact, even though letters were capitalized in the right places, it seemed like as though it was laborious just to do that and it took a long time to make those little motions to add a capital letter. Also, it was in blue pen, rather than the black pen usually used.

"This one, on the other hand, is sloppier and seems to come from an unsteady hand. Also, the writing patterns of the two different handwritings are different, such as the use of more scientific analysis in the black pen and the use of more personal experiences in the other. My conclusion is that there are two Authors of this Journal, but that the black pen Author is the main writer of the Journal, and therefore the Author I am searching for." Dipper explained passionately.

"Huh..." was all Mabel could say. There wasn't much. It was kind of hard to say you didn't care as much about something but you still want him to pursue it, even if you don't understand it. If she could find the words, she would've said it already.

"I'm getting somewhere. I can feel it. I just need to..." He trailed off as he continued to put of photos after photos of the inhabitants of Gravity Falls. Mabel, who was now off of his bed, looked at him in confusion.

"Any-ways, I'm going out! Wanna come, Dip-bro?" Mabel said as she donned a sparkly unicorn sweater, putting it over the shooting star sweater she had on.

"Where are you going?" Dipper turned to look at Mabel with curiosity.

"Apparently, Toriel's school has clubs during the summertime, where kids teach kids hobbies or subjects, even those not enrolled. She's giving a tour today for some of the kids in Gravity Falls not enrolled. I'm going with Alex. You could come with us." She replied with a teasing tone at the end. Upon seeing Dipper seem to take no interest, she got close to his ear and added, "It's a school for the gifted. That means smarties like you, Dip n' dot~"

"Wait, what?" Dipper asked, Mabel beaming at having caught his attention as he turned towards her.

"You could meet a club that could help with mysteries, Dipper! C'mon! It will be fun! Soos is coming too! We could make it a big get-together!" Mabel said with great enthusiasm, causing Dipper to laugh a little. It was a rare sound, as of late, and Mabel immediately knew she had him.

"Okay. You win. I'll come." Dipper decided, finally. Mabel squealed as she embraced her brother. It was certainly a surprise, but one Dipper was quick to join in.

"C'mon! Let's go!" Mabel exclaimed as they went to go get Soos and go to the school.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Why, hello, Dipper and Mabel!" Toriel greeted with a welcoming smile as the Twins entered the school. Mabel immediately grinned back happily.

"Miss Toriel! This is Soos! He's our handyman with a plan!" Mabel introduced as Soos came up to Toriel.

"Aw, shucks, Mabel. I don't always have a plan." Soos replied bashfully before looking at Toriel happily. "Nice to meet you, Miss Toriel."

"It is nice meeting you too, Soos." She answered with a slight giggle. "Well, we are just about to start the tour, if you would come right this way."

The headmistress led the trio down a hallway until reaching a door. Upon opening the door, sunlight streamed in as it was revealed to be an outdoor spot. Many kids were there, especially ones around Gravity Falls. Toriel ushered the three in to mingle with the kids.

Dipper looked around to gain his bearings. From the looks of it, this area was a garden, surrounded on all sides by the school, making it seem like a sacred alcove from the rest of the gifted school. There was a mini pond, full of tiny koi that would get bigger as time went on. The pond seemed to water the entire garden naturally, for there was barely any sprinklers and if there were, it was usually for food items like tomato plants or pumpkins. The rest were beautiful flowers. Water lilies graced the water and orchids bloomed beside the fountains. Petunias, marigolds, and lavenders planted all in a row with no weeds, indicating it had been weeded recently.

What caught Dipper's eye however was golden flowers that seemed to grow on the grassy regions, far from the fountain. It reminded him of when he fell down into the Underground. Golden flowers were everywhere in that place, breaking his fall and seemingly guiding him through the Underground. It was an odd coincidence that such a plant would grow in a garden in the gifted school. Merely that and nothing more.

"I heard the school is very meditative. That's how they keep the stress levels down at such a prestigious school." Dipper overheard a girl mutter to her companion.

"Huh." A boy replied in a hushed whisper. "Rumor is that they meditate for more than just stress. I don't know what else would cause that, though."

"This school is so secretive that only those who enroll really know what is going on. I mean, for a school so open to the community, it sure has a lot of secrets, y'know?" The girl answered.

Meanwhile, Mabel and Soos were in a deep conversation.

"So, I recently found this show. It's called 'Ursa Major' and it is awesome." Mabel said, admiring the show she just found.

"Oh my gosh! You watch that show too?!" Soos replied in amazement as the two looked at each other happily. "Quick! Who's your favorite character?"

"I like Cygnus! He's the best younger brother Ursa could have!" Mabel answered before her face fell a little into a frown. "He just feels like someone to relate to, y'know. Everyone else who likes the show seems to dislike him because he makes Ursa sacrifice everything for him, but not many people realize he wants to be a hero too."

"Mabel, if it makes you feel any better, I like Cygnus. My favorite character is Persy though." Soos smiled a little before Mabel made a disgusted look.

"Persy?! That creep?! C'mon. People mostly like him because they are Ursy shippers." Mabel shivered in disgust from all the strange Persy x Ursa fan art online. "Plus, everyone knows Ursa has tons of guys pining for her that would make a better match. The popular boy who goes from jerk to friend, that boy who is Cygnus' friend who had a crush on her for one episode, and my personal favorite, the siblings' best friend who has never had a crush in his life and yet his first crush is Ursa."

"Dude, I don't ship Persy with Ursa. I like him because you go through most of the series thinking he is one way, but then hearing from his perspective, you find out he is a very complicated and relatable character." Soos said seriously, inspiring Mabel with the point he brought up.

"And to think I spread this injustice." Mabel replied, guilt-stricken. "Well, I promise I will look through understanding eyes from now on-"

"Hey Mabes!" A familiar voice sounded before Mabel was hugged by Alex. She giggled happily until the hug subsided and the couple looked at each other.

"Mabes?!" Mabel finally exclaimed after the giggles and laughter.

"Oh, yeah. Thought I'd try out something different." Alex answered, blush covering his cheeks subtly.

"Well, I love it!" She grinned happily. "Anyways, I'm so excited to see the clubs! I wonder which one I will join? Which one should I join?"

"I don't know, Mabel. There are many that could fit your style. You're so enthusiastic, I bet every club would want you as their member." Alex answered with a flirtatious grin.

"Awwww. You're making me blush." Mabel said, waving her hand in a quick motion downwards as, indeed, her cheeks turned a bright shade of red.

"Yo, dude! I'm Soos." Alex turned towards the handyman.

"Alex. Nice to meet you." He put out his hand and they shook hands.

"Like, dude, is there a video games club? I mean, I'm not settling for one but I was just wondering..." Soos asked, a little embarrassed.

"Naw. I get it, dude. Yeah. There is one. I'm pretty sure there are... 5 members? Maybe 6?" He looked around as if unsure about the amount of members in the club.

A serious expression crossed Soos' face. "I have found my long lost brethren. My quest is at its end, and I will finally be satisfied."

"Achievement get! Gaming Buddies!" Mabel yelled out as she threw sparkles all over Soos.

"Yes! I have been trying to get that trophy since Level 2!" Soos cheered with a beaming smile.

Everybody laughed for a while, one that Dipper didn't join in. Faraway from the laughter, Dipper found that he was analyzing himself. Something was wrong. It hung in the air like a fog and it seemed to choke the life out of everything, even the laughter of his sister and friends. In fact, he caught himself watching them with jealousy, rather than admiration, over the fact they could have fun while he was so miserable. Once he caught it, he couldn't help but feel like he had done something wrong. Guilt didn't help the matter. It was like rain that accompanied the poisonous fog.

Upon analysis, however, he found that this wasn't a sudden thing. It had happened gradually. So slowly that he didn't even realize it until he looked back. When was the last time he laughed? Sure, he laughed that morning but how long was it before then? It was so hard to remember. What was days felt like weeks. He felt drained. He had been having nightmares for nights in a row now, rather than an occasional occurrence. Some of them were scarring and almost all of them left him scared awake, wondering if what he saw was a story concocted by his own subconscious or a memory interwoven into his dreams. There were names and faces he had never known, making the second theory way more plausible. Only two names he had heard were recognized.

In one nightmare, he was in a different body other than his own. It was not human, proven by the white fur, claws on its feet and hands, and horns on its head. He heard two distinct voices and he realized that he was in the mind of the creature. He watched as they carried the tiny form of a human. They laid the sleeping human in a bed of golden flowers and sat in it, indecision filling the creature's emotions. The voices still rang out clear.

 _"What are you doing?"_

 _"I'm doing what has to be done. For their freedom. For your freedom."_

 _"How?"_

 _"..."_

 _"Please! Stop! Don't!"_

 _"I have to. It's my burden to bear."_

 _"It doesn't have to be! Please! Don't be a martyr. Be my friend."_

 _"It's too late to change my mind, Asriel. For better or worse, we WILL break the barrier, and no one will stop me!"_

 _"Chara! LOOK OUT!"_

The creature looked up, startled as a man in simple clothes from a time period long forgotten came out of the blue with a spear, poised to strike. It was enough for Dipper to be startled awake. Upon analyzing it, he realized two things. First, not only was Chara mentioned and was speaking, but the child in the creature's hands was Chara. She looked about the same as she did in her spectral form. The second was the fact that no warmth, movement, or heartbeat came from the tiny human body and Dipper, in his shocked state, found that more horrifying.

The second person he heard about was not from a nightmare, but rather a strange dream. It was dark, where only noise sounded. Blasts rang out, like the sound a blaster would make, music that made his sins crawl up his back, and the sound of a knife or a sword flying through the air. In between such strange noises, voices would sound, the voices changed to sound different from their original pitch.

"have ya... huff... had enough, kid?"

"Are you going to spare me? Do you think I'm dumb enough to fall for that? Or are you just tired of living?"

"alright, you cocky little brat. i'll show you a really bad time."

"That's right, Sans. Show me your DETERMINATION!"

The dream ended then. Sans was certainly a strange addition. The thing was was that he didn't know whether or not to count that as a dream that seemed more like a memory. For all he knew, his subconscious was having a field day with his shaky relationship with his Grunkle and was playing with this, for better or for worse.

Dipper felt like the relationship between he and his Grunkle was complicated. Sometimes, they worked well together, never once arguing with one another and working like a well-oiled machine. Other times, they seemed to annoy one another. It was hard to judge their relationship. In ways hard to comprehend, Dipper found himself wanting a better friendship with Sans, only to discover that he would always fall short of pleasing him.

As for everything else, he felt wrong. Unclean and not pure. The fog was not choking him. It was like it was him. The fog was a part of him, changing his personality and his emotions. He wanted the fog to go away, but he had been wishing that for days now and the cloud didn't cease.

"Ladies and gentlemen, if I could I have your attention please." Dipper turned to see Toriel standing in front of the crowd. She wore an old-timey dress. The dress itself was covered by a white apron looking article of clothing, tying around her waist. On the top of the apron article was seven different colored hearts. Orange, yellow, green, light blue, blue, and purple, with red in between green and light blue. She smiled at the audience as she cleared her throat.

"Citizens of Gravity Falls, we welcome you to our humble school. We are truly lucky to be in your presence." The headmistress scanned the room, smiling at everybody as they burst into an applause. "Did you know that it took three kids in my school to persuade me to come to this humble town? Well, it's true, and I proud to say that I do not regret it."

"I am Headmistress Toriel. I have wanted to teach for years now, as I feel it is my calling to teach the young. I didn't just want a school, however. I wanted a school that could give back to whichever community it was in, whether it be by opening clubs to the public or having kids visit local shops. I am happy to see a whole bunch of new face," Toriel paused, as she looked over the new faces, which included Mabel and Soos, despite the fact Toriel knew them in principal.

"and old faces." She looked around the audience with a smile. That is until her gaze fell upon Dipper. Though no one seemed to notice it other than Dipper, Toriel seemed to gasp a little, not audible enough to be heard. After staring at Dipper for an uncomfortable amount of time, she shook her head and went back to the speech, with only a nervous expression proving that event did happen.

"Well, enough of that. Come along and I will show you our clubs." With that, a boy with blue eyes and a girl with light blue eyes opened the door and held them open as the Headmistress entered, the crowd following well behind. Mabel cheered happily, her voice above the crowd. Dipper was one of the last to enter the building.

It was quite a sight. In front of many of the rooms was the club leader and a poster board telling what is special about each club. Toriel hugged the walls as the crowd seemed to try and find a club they wanted.

"We're the Martial Arts club! We are happy to have you!" A boy with black hair with a purple streak said to some of the people who entered, dressed in traditional martial arts garb.

"Hi! We're the Literature club! We are always happy to have new members!" A girl with short brown hair, light blue eyes, and a red bow exclaimed cheerfully.

Meanwhile, Mabel and Alex were together, Soos having left them in search of the Video Game club. She cheered in her head when she managed to get Alex to hold her hand subtly. "Relationship goals!"

"Will you show me some clubs?" Mabel asked Alex cutely. He smiled.

"Sure." He responded as he led her to the first door. "This is the Journalism club, run by my friend, June."

"Oh, hi, Alex!" A girl with bright green eyes and black hair said right on cue.

"Hey June. This is my girlfriend, Mabel. She's interested in joining a club." Alex replied, immediately making Mabel grin over hearing the g-word.

June crossed her arms and leaned against the wall with a friendly, yet lazy and sly grin. "Well, we are always happy to have new members, Mabel. Journalism may not sound like fun, but it really makes a difference. We recently added comic strips."

"Those sound like fun!" Mabel bounced a little upon hearing comic strips. June let out a tiny laugh.

"Yeah. Anyways, feel free to drop in. We always have room here." With that, June entered the club room, as lazy and sly as usual.

Alex moved down to the next room with Mabel following behind, amused by every single club. Suddenly, his expression changed to a sour stare at the next club.

Mabel was confused by this sudden change in expression until Alex said in a quite yet serious voice, "You don't want to join this one. They worship demons."

A boy, presumably the club president judging by the fact kids and parents had been asking him questions before about the club, gave them a questioning look. "But this is the spelling team."

"Yuck! Now I see what you mean!" Mabel put out her tongue in disgust as Alex started tugging her backwards to avoid the club leader.

"But-!" The young boy yelled out, trying to reach to the couple.

This only made him hear Alex say as they continued to back away, "Demons!" With that, the club president slouched and had a disgruntled look.

Dipper watched on in silent annoyance. Why did he come here? What made him take a leave of his senses and join his sister at this club convention? She was so convincing. Still, he had to give it a shot, and a good start was to stop leaning up against the wall and actually know what some of the clubs were.

As he walked away from the wall and went down the hall, he couldn't help but look into the multiple rooms and what activities they were doing. A young girl was baking cookies in an oven. Obviously cooking club. Soos was playing with a couple of other kids on a video game console. Gaming club. A boy with a massive camera was given a mission by the club president to take pictures of the event. Photography club. Not one of the clubs remotely interested Dipper.

As he neared the end of the hall, he feared that he had failed in trying to give this whole club thing a chance. The hallway was less packed as he neared the end, since most people found their preferred club at the other end of the hall. As he peered into the last couple of rooms, one caught his eyes.

A girl with brown hair was talking to the other four members who were sitting on few of the many beanbag chairs that dotted the room. The members were listening quietly as she spoke. Her eyes were closed, as if speaking from the heart. With the noise of the hallway minimal on this side of the hallway, Dipper could just make out what she was saying.

"...Back in Waterspring, there were not too many urban legends or tales we could test out. I mean, who wants to find out if you could age faster in a certain area? Boring!" The girl opened her eyes, revealing them to be a dark, rich purple color that shocked and surprised Dipper. She rolled them about the prospect of find out the outcome of that myth. Dipper, being intrigued by the idea of testing legends and tales around a town, entered the room quietly and unseen, keeping to the edge of the room.

"But now, we are in Gravity Falls, a place full of a rich history and interesting stories! I mean, the story about the princess and the monster was just the tip of the iceberg!" The girl became more excited as she continued. "There's so many stories about areas around Gravity Falls! A place where unicorns live! An area of the forest where gemstones cause things to grow and shrink! Imagine a house where dinosaurs lay trapped underneath! This place is full of things to discover!"

Dipper was paralyzed. This club seemed to be the exact one he needed and yet had never thought he would find. A group of truth-seekers, only hoping to unravel the secrets and link them together. He stood in silent awe as the girl continued to speak. "And we will do it without the help of that stupid occult club."

The club clapped for the eloquent speaker. With a smile, the girl looked at her members and took a small bow with pride.

"Very well said, Megan." Someone cheered in the crowd.

Megan looked up with a giant grin on her face. However, when she caught sight of Dipper, with a small smile on his face, watching near the wall of the room, her grin disappeared and she just stared at him. Dipper's smile left too as he suddenly felt awkward and out-of-place. Megan shook her head a little before looking down at her club members, a happy expression returning to her face.

"I think we have a visitor." The power of those six words was enough to make the entire club turn in astonishment towards Dipper as silence passed between the two parties. Clearly, they didn't expect anyone to take any interest in legends and myths as much as Dipper was. They seemed to be grateful to even have one visitor.

Suddenly, a girl in a beanbag chair stood up with an almost maniacal grin on her face. Dipper recognized it as the girl he had encountered on the rafters of the gym during the Costume Ball, who seemed to take pleasure in bringing love. It was easy to recognize her slightly crazed, yet intelligent brown eyes and her unkempt brown hair.

"Hi! Welcome to the Urban Legends club! I'm Katie, the club leader!" The girl smiled brightly and it seemed to click in Dipper's mind. Of course she was happy about the craziness at the Costume Ball. The gemstone had worked exactly how it said in the legend, and so, it was a victory for her and her club. No wonder she was the club leader.

"My name is Cameron." The boy besides her answered as he stood up next. Cameron had brown hair that was nicely combed on his head, even though the hair went down to his ears. He had light blue eyes that seemed to glow with a power of its own, rather than from the light provided by the room.

"Name's Cooper! Nice ta meet ya!" Cooper, who was next in the line of beanbag chairs, almost looked identical to Cameron, despite a few obvious differences. One difference was that he looked like a rougher and tougher version, judging by his ruffled hair, the many cuts and bruises on his body, mostly on the face, and the dirt that seemed to be a part of the very skin itself. The second difference was his eyes. Cooper's eyes were not blue, but a light brown, giving the illusion of an orange color.

"I'm Megan, the club's Vice President." Megan seemed a bit disheveled from Dipper's arrival, and yet she tried to order herself as to look perfectly confident. She seemed to be the actual leadership behind the club leader.

"And I'm Petra!" Another girl exclaimed as she jumped out of her bean bag with her arms stretched out, as if surprising someone with a birthday party. She had long copperish colored hair and dark sea blue eyes.

The club members looked at Dipper expectantly and it took him a bit to realize he had to introduce himself too. He cleared his throat and nervously started. "Well, hi. My name is Dipper Pines."

Megan pushed aside Katie, who honestly didn't seem to mind. Megan seemed to be the most responsible of the group and the most articulate. Even her posture seemed to convey this, her back straight and her hands behind her back. However, her bright eyes and friendly smile seemed to make every doubt and fear Dipper had about approaching her dash, for her demeanor seemed honest and kind. She grinned happily before she spoke.

"It is nice to meet you." Megan replied, immediately causing the other members of the club to nod their heads in agreement. "Sorry that we don't have much else to offer. If I'm quite honest, we did not expect to find any new members."

"Or even have the chance to try and gain members." Cooper added with a playful but reckless tone of voice.

Cameron looked at Cooper with an expression of teasing disgust as he punched Cooper in the arm. Cooper rubbed his arm to feign pain with a grin.

"Well, I didn't expect to find a club that would interest me, so I guess we're on the same page." Dipper replied with a shrug. He was soon surprised to find that the two boys, Cameron and Cooper, were chuckling to themselves at Dipper's statement.

Petra, seemingly the youngest, if not in age, then in mentality, smiled brightly before speaking. "Well, why don't you hang out with us for a while! We aren't doing anything else! Maybe you could get to know us!"

"Not me! I have to scout out the next legend we will be exploring." Katie exclaimed, the rest of the club members understanding her urgency, but clearly disappointed. They all nodded sadly as their club leader, as mysterious as she was, picked up her bag and started towards the door. "See you guys at the next meeting, and welcome to the club, if you decide to join, Dipper."

"Bye Katie!" Petra said politely as she waved excitedly, before a look of realization crossed her face. "Wait! I should get some cookies from the cooking club for our guest!"

Dipper shook his head. "No! You don't have to do that for me!"

"No, seriously. It's no trouble!" Petra replied and before Dipper knew it, she was off getting cookies. He sighed as if he resigned to his fate of getting cookies when he didn't ask for them.

 _"You might consider becoming friends with them. You could use them to your advantage."_ The companion in his head reminded him, finally deciding to join him.

Dipper surveyed the room, knowing full well not to answer in plain sight. It seemed Cameron, Cooper, and Megan were in a lively conversation, emphasized by laughter. It seemed that they didn't pay much mind to him, as if keeping their distance so that Dipper could choose when he wanted to join.

Quietly, Dipper muttered to himself. "Nice to see you finally made it."

 _"You're welcome. I had some business to tend to. Plus, I was feeling rather drained. Why don't you go talk to them?"_ Chara did sound rather tired from something, but still just as sarcastic as ever.

He didn't hesitate to follow her instructions, however, as he came alongside a Megan and listened to their conversation.

"Here's an idea for something to investigate! My bro has a legend that is set right here in Gravity Falls." Cooper smirked as he held and shook Cameron's head a little in a playful fashion. Cameron laughed a bit before pulling away.

"I think Cooper's being overdramatic. It is a simple rumor, not an old legend found in a cave or something. You've got to keep your sources straight, right, Brother?" Cameron smirked as Cooper crossed his arms and tossed his eyes.

"Well, a rumor is still something we could check out. What's the rumor entail?" Megan asked in a businesslike fashion.

"Well, the rumor starts like this: Years ago, there was a family in Gravity Falls that lived in a house that was in the woods far from the center of town. They mainly kept to themselves. Most people considered themselves to be acquainted with the family, but never friends. All they knew was that it was a husband and wife with their two kids." Dipper found himself listening intently to the tale, naturally curious as to what this rumor would lead to.

"Then, out of nowhere, they closed their doors. The family stopped coming out. They sent their son to a boarding school and their daughter hasn't been seen ever since. Only the parents go out, and that only happens once a week on a certain day at a certain time, with no human interaction other than politely buying what they need." Cameron paused as he scanned the looks of the other three.

"Well, that doesn't sound like too much of a rumor." Dipper pointed out, causing Megan to turn towards him with a smile. "Most people stay indoors, nowadays. That's just a fact." Megan nodded before turning back.

"Dipper's right. We need something more... interesting than just a family shutting the world out."

"Well, I'm about to get to the interesting part. Ever since, there has been weird reports surrounding that house." Then, Cameron pulled out folded papers out from his shirt pocket. He opened it up and read carefully the text on each page as if reading a historical document. "'Bright light shining on the house, comparable to spotlights, on a dark night during the new moon, faint whispers that say cryptic messages that has nothing to do with the listener, a feeling as if watched, and flowers blooming amidst winter snow'."

Megan was stunned. She simply stared at Cameron, who had a smug smirk. She cleared her throat and straightened out her shirt. "Right. Mysterious family and unexplained events seem to be quite interesting."

"I BROUGHT THE COOKIES!" Petra cheered, causing Megan to shriek, startled by the sudden noise behind her back. Indeed, the young girl was holding a tray of freshly baked cookies. Petra had a confused look on her face as she looked at Megan, who sighed and panted. Cameron and Cooper laughed a bit to themselves in response to her reaction. Dipper, in the meantime, did not see the humor in the event. Megan was simply startled. Nothing more than that.

"Well, I guess a snack break is in order." Megan said, trying to look and sound professional despite how red her face was in embarrassment.

Petra carefully placed the cookie tray on an empty beanbag chair, and stuffed a cookie into her mouth. "If'sf chocolateff chipff coofkiesf!" She squealed, her voice partially muffled by the cookie she was chewing.

Dipper was a bit hesitant to take part of the snack break. It seemed useless in his search for the truth. However, if he wanted to be friends with the club and in turn have people help him to find who the Author was, then it was worth it. He stared at the cookie for a bit and scanned the people around him. Petra and Megan were having a lively conversation. From the looks of it, they weren't siblings, but they seemed to have a bond that was akin to that of siblings. Megan laughed at Petra's jokes and Petra seemed to be happy around her.

Dipper then decided he had a question that he wanted to ask. He walked over to Cooper and Cameron, who seemed to be gushing over how good the cookies were. However, their conversation paused as they grinned at Dipper as he came over.

"Hi, Dipper! Fun times, huh?" Cooper said happily.

"Yeah. It is. I just had a question." Dipper replied, a little awkwardly, although they didn't seem to mind.

"Fire away. I'm good at trivia." Cameron answered, while he brother nodded in response.

"So, I know you two are brothers, but since you two are about the same age, are you guys-"

"Ding ding!" Cooper interrupted, startling Dipper before he realized that Cameron had poked Cooper so he made that sound.

"What are semi-identical twins?" Cameron replied, sounding like he was on a certain game show. Again, his brother made the sound of a bell, signifying that he was right. They both cheered.

"Wait... wait, wait, wait..." Dipper said through the sound. "What are semi-identical twins?"

"That's what my bro said!" Cooper responded, pointing towards Cameron, who pushed him aside and came a little closer to Dipper to explain.

"Semi-identical twins are... Well, you know the two common types of twins. There's identical where the twins are the same, right? And then there are fraternal twins, where they don't have the exact same DNA. Sound familiar?"

Dipper smiled knowingly. He knew one of those sets of twins quite well. As it turned out, he and his sister had about as much in common with their DNA as normal siblings are. The only difference was that they were born on the same day.

"Well, semi-identical twins are where we both have the same DNA from our mom, but we have different DNA from our dad! While normal siblings share 50% of their DNA, we share 75%. It is also very rare for semi-identical twins to survive at all, so we're quite lucky to exist!" Cameron explained, proving to be quite eloquent in his speech when he spoke alone.

"Yeah. It's not my fault my bro here had a mutation with his eyes." His brother said, putting his arm around Cameron.

"What are you talking about? I have the Swanson family eyes! You're the mutation!" Cameron responded, pulling away.

"Says you! I was born first, thereby making you the mutation."

"Alright, you two," Megan interrupted, Dipper silently thanking her. "Fight after we decide on our club agenda."

Cameron and Cooper both groaned as they went into two beanbag seats next to each other and glared at each other. Petra watched silently from her beanbag chair and looked super uncomfortable, as she tried to pay attention on her cookie in her hands rather than the two twin siblings.

Megan shook her head in disapproval before smiling politely at Dipper. "Well, if you're still thinking about joining the club, you can join us."

"You mean... I can just join you like that?" Dipper said, hesitantly.

"Well, we don't really have a club initiation and we prefer not to. It distracts from our mission to explore rumors," Megan explained, closing her purple eyes as she spoke.

"Well, in that case, sure." Dipper barely had a chance to see everyone's reactions to the news when his attention was drawn to Petra, who was squealing in delight.

"YEEESSSSS! NEW MEMBER!" Everybody put their hands over their ears as Petra's voice hit frequencies that were not known to be possible for a human to reach. When she noticed everyone, she stopped and looked at the floor as her face turned red. "Sorry," she muttered under her breath.

Megan was stunned for a moment before clearing her throat. She turned to Dipper. "Take a seat." She motioned to one of the two remaining chairs. Dipper, not particularly caring where he sat, chose the seat farthest away from the other club members. It just felt right to him. The other club members didn't seem to notice or care. They just seemed happy to have another member.

Megan stood before the club, collecting her thoughts before she was about to speak. "Alright. So, according to Cameron, there is a house that we should investigate due to weird reports. First order of business is whether we should investigate. All in favor say 'I'."

"I!" Everyone in the club replied, including Dipper. It seemed intriguing to have a house full of mystery. Even though he should've been concerned about the Journal and its secrets, Dipper just couldn't help himself.

"Alright. Who is then willing to lead the investigation?" The club members looked amongst each other, whispering as to who it should be.

"I NOMINATE DIPPER!"

Petra smiled, proud of herself as she looked at Dipper with pleading eyes. Before he knew it, every club member had turned to look at him. Now, he was in the spotlight. Immediately, anxiety welled up in his head. He may not have been a socially awkward person, but Dipper couldn't help but feel a bit awkward with everyone staring at him with expectant expressions and waiting for his next move.

Megan seemed to understand, however, and made a throats clearing noise. "Dipper doesn't have to lead it if he doesn't want to, Petra. He is a new member, after all."

Petra looked down at her feet in shame, while all the other club members seemed just as understanding as Megan. However, he didn't want that either. He felt a yearning. He wanted to lead. Have a team that would actually understand and help him, rather than Mabel, who would only help if it didn't bother her busy schedule. A team that was actually passionate about the supernatural and the mysteries that followed. With that, he was unable to control himself.

"No! I want to!" He blurted out before he could even think it through. Anxiety overwhelmed him. What had he done? Maybe this was a breach of etiquette or something. How would they react? However, his worries disappeared as he watched each of the club member's eyes light up with enthusiasm and surprise, especially Petra, who gained a grin as well.

"Wow! You are certainly brave!" Cooper cheered happily with his usual nonchalant attitude.

"Dipper will be a great leader, right, Megan?!" Petra asked, jumping up and down with pure joy.

"O-o-of course he i-i-is!" Megan tried to say as Petra seemed to shake her around in a hug. "Petra! Please!"

"Oops. Sorry." She replied, sheepishly as she calmly sat on her beanbag chair.

Megan cleared her throat before speaking to Dipper directly. "Since you are new, I will explain what the duties and responsibilities a leader must hold."

"Number one: you get to schedule times, dates, and places for the investigation you are planning. Number two: you get to choose who will go with you. Number three: you are responsible for the wellbeing of your party. Number four: you must report your findings at some point to Katie, who is gone right now. Number five: good luck and have fun on your investigation."

Dipper processed the tasks in his head. It seemed reasonable. Make sure everyone was fine, report in on your findings, all good stuff. He nodded to assure Megan he knew what to do for the club. She smiled back.

"Alright. Dipper, when are you planning to investigate the house at this location?" Megan pushed over a map, one that everybody wanted to look at. The map showed all of Gravity Falls, and with a red marker, she circled an area in the woods. It seemed like a clearing with a small road leading up to the house. It seemed easy enough to find, since the small road ended at the the police station.

"How about tomorrow?" Dipper replied confidently. It seemed like a good bet to wait until tomorrow to investigate the house on a full day, rather than half a day or having to wait any longer. Megan nodded her head.

"Anybody who can't go?" Megan asked the rest of the group. Cooper and Cameron both raised their hands with a glum look on their faces. Megan nodded again.

"Sorry Dipper. I guess you don't get much of a choice for your first mission. I can't go because of club co-leader business, so Petra will go with you," Megan replied, sheepishly.

"YEEESSSS!" Petra cheered happily. "I almost never get to go on a mission!"

Dipper sighed. He was fine with having Petra. She just seemed too excitable, especially since this was partially a stealth mission. She could compromise his position in a blink of an eye. One cheer could do that. Still, he could find a way.

"Alright," Dipper said, acting like a leader. "Petra, you will meet me tomorrow at noon near the police station. Then, we'll go an investigate, deal?"

"Yes, leader Dipper!" She replied, saluting Dipper playfully.

Megan looked at her watch and cleared her throat to get everyone's attention. "Our time is up. Good club meeting, everyone. Meet you all next week for our next meeting."

Immediately, Cameron and Cooper left the clubroom, yelling and playing with each other. Petra left with a smile, winking at Dipper for fun. All that was left was Megan and Dipper, and she was soon to leave.

"Welcome to the club, Dipper," she said warmly before she left the room. "You'll do great."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Mabel's experience at the convention was fun to say the least. The problem was choosing a club the following morning. She had many in mind as she sat at the kitchen table, thinking of them all, but all of them seemed to overlap with each other in terms of when the meetings were. Should she join the Knitters Anonymous club, just so that she could make a whole bunch of sweaters, or the Karaoke Singing club, where she could sing to her heart's content? Alex was in a martial arts club. Maybe she could join that just so she could be near her boyfriend.

Then, there was the Matchmaking club. It was a match made in heaven for Mabel, pun intended. It was full of other boys and girls who tried to bring couples together, including each other. Each club had its perks, but she could only pick one. One to go to all summer long. It was a hard choice, and that's what she was focusing on as Dipper came down the stairs for a late breakfast. It was eleven in the morning and he was so busy focusing on the mystery of the Journal that he had forgotten to eat breakfast until now.

He went to a cupboard and had cereal, sitting next to Mabel as he ate. "Hey Dip n' Dot!" She greeted with a smile. "Have you decided to join a club yet?"

"Mabel, I have already chosen a club. The Urban Legends club," Dipper replied grumpily.

"Oh. Right. A nerd group," Mabel groaned with a sigh. "At least you know which club to go to."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out," Dipper responded sympathetically. Then, he looked at his watch. His eyes widened as he realized what time it was. "Oh no. Sorry Mabel! I have to go!" He went to the area near the door and put on a backpack. Then, he opened the door out to the store front.

"Where are you going?!" Mabel asked, before realizing it was too late. He had already gone out the door. She shrugged. Oh well. It's not like he'd run away or leave her.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Right at noon, Dipper watched as Petra, wearing a dark blue backpack, bounded towards him. She grinned at him. Before he knew it, she was beside him, both of them in front of the police station, ready to head off onto the dirt trail.

"I'm so excited, Dipper!" She said enthusiastically. "I promise I won't let you down."

Let's hope so, Dipper found himself thinking as he wordlessly nodded and went towards the dirt trail. It was not a very well used dirt trail, as evidenced by the fact at one point, an entire log blocked their path. After a bit of a break, Petra climbed up the log and helped Dipper up the log, since his arms were as weak as weak could be. Together they went through the woods wordlessly, although Petra would hum songs along the way. That is until they saw the house.

To say the two-story house was hardly taken care of was an understatement. It looked like someone had, on purpose, broken holes into the rotting green-painted wood, broken some of the window panes on the upper story, and left the place to rot. However, despite how abandoned it looked, there was an unusual feeling as if someone was still living inside, despite the poor living conditions. They felt as if they were watched, matching what they heard from the twin brothers. Even Petra seemed a little unnerved about it.

"So," she murmured softly, still looking at the house in silent awe. "what's the plan?"

Dipper temporarily looked at Petra, who stared back him, before they heard the creak of rusty metal on a door. They turned back to the house to find the front door was wide open, moving slightly as if moved by a non-existent breeze. Dipper felt a foreboding feeling, and yet curiosity overflowed his reasoning.

"I have to go in there," he whispered back.

"What?" Petra replied in a bit of a panic. "We're just gonna enter the house like this? What if somebody enters and finds us?"

"That's why you're not going in the house," Dipper responded, causing Petra to look back at him in confusion.

"Stay by that window," he said, pointing towards a window on the first story on the side of the house. "When you see someone coming, whistle as loud as you can and run."

"Whistle and run," she repeated softly, before giving Dipper a grin that looked slightly uncomfortable. "Got it."

"I'll be back," Dipper promised as he ran towards the open door, stopping in front of it as he hesitated to go through it.

"Good luck!" Petra yelled, putting a thumbs up. Then, Dipper took a breath of air, let it out, and then entered the house, only for the front door to close behind him on its own. He looked back, knowing there was no coming back after taking this risk. He had to continue exploring this house. So, he started to walk down the hallway he had entered.

Dipper's footsteps made the old, weathered floorboards creak. It was dark, with only a little bit of light near the end of the corridor. Cautiously, he continued his way down the creaky old corridor. However, something caught his eyes as he glanced to the right. On the wall was a photograph.

Inside the frame was a scene that seemed like a relic of a time long gone. A time when the sun shined everyday and the skies were never blotched with the darkness of clouds. The grass was green and before this scene stood a family. Near the back of the family were the parents. The father was a tall lanky man with short black hair and not a sign of facial hair on his chin or lip. His eyes were bright with energetic innocence and, as Dipper found it hard to describe, was a color that seemed in between a bright green and a light gray. He wore a light green collared shirt and he smiled happily with his arm around his wife to his left.

The mother was a smaller woman when compared to her husband and was in between thick and thin in terms of body weight. Her entire body posture seemed to convey that she was beautiful and confident and she knew it all to well. She leaned a bit closer to the arm of her husband and seemed to face her entire body to face him rather than the camera. However, her face was towards the camera, where her intelligent and amused yellowish-gray eyes combined with the small pencil-thin line of a smile to create a sly, beautiful expression. Her hair fell in long golden locks down her back.

In front of the mother was a young boy who looked about eight or nine years old, given by the fact he was the shortest of them all and he was missing his two front teeth in his toothy grin. His eyes were a dark purple, a big contrast from the lighter eye colors of the family, and were filled with the energetic nature of the innocence of youth. His dark brown hair was messy, with most of his hair deciding to curve up, rather than fall next to his face. Because of this, his ears were hidden and yet the rest of his face was shown. The hair gave a sort of careless look to him.

All of these members of the family were well and good, but some or all of them were present in the other photographs around the room. After a quick scan of the rest of the photos, he recognized that one member was missing from all of the photos that only appeared in this old family photo, and that was the older girl next to the small boy.

The girl looked to be about Dipper's age, meaning she looked eleven or twelve years old. Her eyes were different, in the fact that unlike her parents, where their eye color was as close to a light gray but still having a vibrant color, or her brother, where it was a noticeable and dark color, she had light gray eyes. Her hair was a black color, but what was odd was that although she was not that old, she had a strand of hair that was a silvery white. She had a modest smile on her face and her eyes said volumes about that fact she was shy. Her posture seemed to say that she was very modest, even though she was quite beautiful for her age. Of course, according to Dipper, not as beautiful as Wendy.

It took awhile to process all he saw. What had happened? What could possibly cause such a wonderful and normal family to hide themselves from the world, as if sheltering themselves from a dreaded secret? The ghostly figure of Chara appeared next to him and analyzed the picture. Dipper looked over and watched her expression, even though she remained emotionless. Afterwards, she silently shrugged, clearly not knowing the answer, no matter how much she knew. Dipper was about to speak to her when they both heard a noise as if speaking from the room ahead, where Dipper had planned to enter and look around.

They both listened and were surprised to hear someone singing quietly to themselves. It sounded like a nursery rhyme, but, even though the song was recognizable as the tune from 'Ten Little Soldier Boys', the lyrics were so unusual that it was hard to confuse it for a rhyme children sang. The voice itself sounded like a whisper, as if the person were far away or singing wistfully to themselves.

"One little skeleton,

Nothing to do.

Cut two holes

And then there were two"

Chara appeared beside him and wordlessly went ahead of Dipper, before she peeked into the lit room. After minutes of heart-pounding silence, Chara motioned for him to come to her side. Tiptoeing through the hall, he couldn't help but cringe and brace himself for the worst to come whenever a floorboard creaked. However, once he came to Chara's side, she whispered, _"She doesn't seem to respond to anything. Not even your loud footsteps."_

Dipper was about to counter her little jab when he peered through the door and saw what Chara was talking about. It took a bit for Dipper to recognize who it was from the side. The one thing he knew for a while was that in front of him was a girl about thirteen or fourteen with silvery white hair was sitting in a chair. Even as he cracked the creaky door a bit wider, she did not turn or respond at all. She just sat there, looking at the television that was on a random channel. Beside her was some hospital equipment that dropped a liquid into her arm.

It seemed as though she would never respond. To test this theory, however, Dipper opened the door even wider and entered the room so that he was standing right next to her. Still no response. With closer inspection, he realized who it was.

"It's the girl," he whispered to himself, and maybe Chara. It was true. The girl before him had some of the same qualities as the sister in the photo. First was the eyes. The eyes, no matter how empty and vacant they were now, were the same color and shade. The silvery strand of hair had now spread to the rest of her dark hair, leaving only a few dark gray strands to remember of its presence. She seemed skinnier and her body was more matured, but she seemed to be someplace new altogether.

"Two little skeletons,

Being so free.

One met another,

And then there were three."

She chanted the rhyme, as if it were a ritual, or some words from another world. Dipper found himself supernaturally called to listen, as if it were important or it was a prophecy of some great figure. Either way, he let her continue on with her rhymes.

"Three little skeletons,

Wanted one more.

A little baby brother,

And then there were four."

(

"Four little skeletons,

Nowhere left to be.

One was lost in time,

And then there were three."

(

"Three little skeletons,

Had made it all through.

One had fallen down,

And then there were two."

(

"Two little skeletons,

Skele-TONS of fun.

One made a mistake,

And then there was one."

(

"Lonely little skeleton,

Trying to erase.

Right his wrong mistakes,

Or end his very race."

The rhyme ended, and Dipper couldn't help but ponder what it meant. As he turned to depart, he found his eyes wandering to a cork board to the left of the door. Curious, he noticed newspaper clippings and letters cut out and pinned to the board. He walked over, much to Chara's chagrin.

 _"What are you doing?!"_ She yell-whispered. "We have to go, before you get arrested for breaking and entering."

"It's hardly breaking and entering when the front door was wide open for us," Dipper countered.

 _"Riiiight. And it's okay to steal too, while we're at it, since their stuff isn't behind bulletproof glass,"_ Chara murmured quietly, her arms crossed as she sulked.

He ignored her, instead looking over the pictures and magazines, headlines blazing before him.

"GIRL SUFFERS FROM RARE CONDITION!" one read, while another said, "EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH FAMILY OF 'ORACLE' CHILD." Intrigued, he pulled off an entire article and read it to himself.

"GIRL TRAPPED IN THOUGHTS. Locals in Gravity Falls, Oregon were shocked to hear that local girl, twelve-year-old Hope Raphael Walters, was found in an unconscious state on the edge of the cliffs that surrounded the small tourist town. After finding her and her brother, Gabriel, who had been in a shocked but otherwise unharmed state, the parents took her to the nearest hospital.

"Doctors were baffled when they discovered that she was not actually unconscious or in a coma. Rather, she seemed to be 'conscious but unresponsive to the outside world,' as Doctor Richard Peterson stated. 'The young girl doesn't even respond to her own needs, like hunger or thirst. Even though it seems to be a problem with her mind, it is taxing on her body as she neglects to take care of it. We can only treat it like a coma as of right now until further research is conducted on the matter.'

"The cause of this state is unknown, although the family is staying quiet as of late over the details of the event that may have triggered Hope's condition near the cliffs. More will be reported as the story develops."

Dipper stared at the paper, trying to piece together what the information meant. The girl in the chair was muttering to herself, the words garbled and nonsensical. Hope, as he now knew was her name, truly seemed oblivious to the outside world, but to assume she was trapped in her own mind? It was a frightening thought for him, as his mind was something he loved and valued above all else, second to his family.

Before he could stop himself, he pulled down a letter that was mostly scribbled out with black marker across the middle. He read it silently to himself.

"Dear Mr. and Mrs. Walters,

It is not often that Alumni continue to send their children to a school when the school itself and its teachers are partially to blame for a family member's condition. Because of this, I send my sincerest apologies and condolences to your family through this trying time, and I pray that Hope will recover.

Upon meeting Gabriel after the long summer, I could see the toll on him. He seemed depressed and uninterested in any of the subjects."

Dipper sighed in disappointment as a black marker barrier made the rest of the middle section of the letter illegible. Reluctantly, he skipped it and continued.

"Your daughter was the most cheerful child I have known. She was always good to others and never lost sight of what really mattered. Hope was planning on running for class president this year. Just for her, we have suspended the election until next year, so that even when she is gone or not with us, she will still be the president we always wanted. In a way, she has brought upon the biggest unity in our school, even healing the rift between BRAVE and PATIENT students, which, although the relationship has been kept on a low-key, has been tense in the past, as you well should know.

You have my condolences for Ms. Hope and your family. If you ever need any support or just want to talk, feel free to write to me again. From your loving teacher in your school and your old home, we apologize for our involvement in your child's condition.

Love,

Headmistress Toriel"

Shocked, Dipper reread the last two words out loud. "Headmistress Toriel," he murmured.

Upon looking over the letter one last time, he found that it had more meaning. He was able to make many assumptions. For one, Hope's parents were alumni of Ms. Toriel's school. Dipper was a bit skeptical, as it looked like she was in her mid-40s, but that would make her just as old as the parents were. If she truly taught them, she would be way older than that. However, he tucked it away and promised himself to ask Toriel later.

The second thing was that Hope and her younger brother, Gabriel, went to Toriel's school. Toriel knew Hope and Gabriel personally. It was heartbreaking to think about. Was Gabriel at the school while he was there? Did he brush by this broken boy in the halls without even knowing it? He couldn't fathom the pain the boy felt.

The final thing was that it said BRAVE and PATIENT students. It seemed odd that out off all of the character traits, she chose to put those ones in her letter, in all caps, no less. What could it possibly mean?

 _"Dipper!"_ Chara yell-whispered, clearly exasperated and unhappy with him. She rushed over and got a grip on his wrist. Forcefully, she pulled him towards the door with a yank.

"Hey! What are you doing?! Let go!" Dipper shouted, trying to stand his ground against the demanding ghost.

 _"I'm TRYING to save our skins! Petra will be waiting outside!"_ Chara replied, still trying to yank him out the door. All of a sudden, a hand gripped one of Chara's wrists. It didn't even phase through her. It actually grabbed her. Chara went pale as she turned towards the person that grabbed her. Dipper gaped as he realized Hope was now staring at both of them with gray, empty eyes.

No. She wasn't just doing that. She actually grabbed onto Chara. That wasn't supposed to be possible! How could that happen? Suddenly, Hope started speaking.

"Chara Dreemurr, fallen child,

The time has come.

Find your heart and tame its wild

And reconcile the One."

Chara was frozen. Her expression was one of confusion and fear. For the first time, Dipper didn't just see her as a ghost or helpful guide. She was just a kid. Someone who fell before her time. It felt odd. When had he last felt like a kid? That was just like asking when had he last laughed.

Then, just like the flip of a switch, the girl released her hand returned her gaze to the television. Chara, meanwhile was watching the girl with suspicion, panting as she held her wrist in her other hand, as if the grip Hope had wounded it.

"Stay DETERMINED." Hope said in a sing-song way, making it sound more like the words to a rhyme that she decided to cut off.

Dipper shifted a little uncomfortably. Now, he wanted to leave. Putting a hand softly on Chara's shoulder, he murmured softly, "Let's go."

Then he went down the corridor quickly but quietly. Chara simply nodded, but hesitated to leave, pondering as to the meaning of the girl's words. Then, she looked down at the hand Hope had grabbed. The same one she had cut. It clicked. Her expression hardened into a DETERMINED look. In a swift motion, she ran after Dipper.

"The final battle of a timeless conflict." Hope murmured as Chara left the room.

Dipper rushed towards the front door, hoping that he was able to reach the Mystery Shack in time to not worry Grunkle Sans. No. Scratch that. Sans wouldn't care. Mabel was the only one that cared at casa de Sans. It didn't matter to him that he was inducted into a demon cult or that he fell into the Underground. He was never there. He was gone. Where was he in those times he and Mabel needed Sans? Probably at Grillby's, drinking his problems away. It got on Dipper's nerves.

He shook his head as he went outside. He felt something weird. It felt like a change in air pressure. Confused, he popped his ears and looked around. Immediately, he found himself dumbfounded at his surroundings. He had entered the house near noon, and yet now it was dark, the stars twinkling above him. Night had fallen over him in a span on minutes.

 _"Oh yeah. This is definitely normal,"_ Chara remarked, sarcastically, watching Dipper with sleepless, judging eyes.

"Dipper!" A hushed voice said, causing him to look behind to see little Petra, hiding in the bushes with fear masked on her face. "Where were you? I was calling for you!"

"I was only in for fifteen minutes." Dipper answered, mystified by this new discovery.

Petra's face paled as her face grew more dire than it already was. "Fifteen? You're saying ten hours passed in fifteen minutes?"

 _"To be fair, the girl in there has been known to make modifications to her house,"_ Chara replied from behind, a thoughtful, yet cunning look on her face. _"Maybe she made a pocket in time?"_

"I'm saying that this is much bigger than we thought. Much bigger." Dipper said, ignoring Chara's comment.

"Well, at least you're safe. I was worried I might have to call the police, and then we would be in REAL trouble." Petra sighed, both in relief and stress. "Well, Katie would definitely want to know about this. And Megan. Cameron, Cooper. Oh, and me! I want to know what happened."

"Maybe later, Petra." He responded, trying to stifle a yawn. Suddenly, he felt very tired, as if the time he had spent in the house had caught up with him. Petra looked at him solemnly before nodding in agreement.

"Yeah. Miss Toriel called and asked me where I was. I'm pretty tired too." As if to prove her point, she yawned. "How about we save it for next meeting?"

"Sounds great." With that, Dipper gently led the small girl through the woods. Petra would rub her eyes and mumble something, either in protest for something she didn't want to do, like jumping off a log, or because she was partially asleep. Compared to how Petra felt, he was full of energy, despite it being 10 at night. Admittedly, he would often stay up for days at a time for research, but he would be tempted to fall asleep around this time. However, as he stood beside Petra and Chara, he didn't feel as drained as he should've felt.

When he reached the school, it was almost a welcome sign for both Petra and Dipper, for Dipper was tired of dragging the half-asleep girl and Petra was just plain tired. Slowly, they reached the girl's dormitory and she, almost completely on instinct, put in the code into the keypad and opened the door. It seemed to take a lot of energy even for her to turn around to look at him.

"Good night, Dipper. Happy first quest," She said, trying to cheer in her soft, tired voice.

"Good night. Thanks for joining me." With a small, sleepy smile, she closed the door and locked it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"'Leprechauns'? No. 'Ghosts'. 'Dragons'. Augh! Nothing!" Dipper groaned in frustration as he flopped down onto his bed. The Journal didn't hold anything about this phenomenon. Warlocks and druids seemed likely, but upon further reading, none of them had the power to cause a temporal distortion around a specific area.

 _"Hmmmm... Seems the Journal has more than meets the eyes,"_ Chara said cryptically, looking at the Journal.

Dipper sat up straight and looked at the book in his lap. "What do you mean?"

 _"Watch this."_ Immediately, Chara turned the page, with the use of Dipper's fingers, to a blank page on the back, and then passed her spectral hand through the pages, her ghostly light illuminating words that were unseen in normal light. He looked on in curiosity and wonder, as he realized the words weren't vanishing from the page as Chara brought up her hand.

"'Blue Magic Attacks'," Dipper read in amazement. "This is amazing, Chara! I mean, look at the handwriting! It doesn't look like the other notes I've seen!" Indeed, the handwriting of these notes was strange. First, it was all in capitalized letters, as if the author were yelling at the reader. Secondly, the words were a little bit scribbly, as if written on old types of paper, rather than the clean pristine pages that was in the Journal.

 _"Yup. Took me a while to figure out what felt wrong about these pages,"_ Chara replied as Dipper flipped through the many notes that weren't about creatures or items of magical importance, but rather how to counter their magical attacks.

"It just blows my mind! I mean, a third Author?" Dipper said over and over again with no care. Chara merely smiled slyly with her arms crossed, before she resumed to looking out the window. Suddenly, her smile vanished and a look of worry crossed her face. Dipper looked over with concern. Calmly, he walked over beside Chara and looked down where she was looking.

Grunkle Sans' car had rolled up and was now on the driveway. The door behind the driver opened and out came Mabel. A deep regret spread throughout Dipper's body and pained him when he saw her. The first word that came to his mind when he first saw her was "sick". She looked ill, and it only took the reasoning that she had been fine that morning that made him realize that she wasn't actually sick from anything a microbe could give.

Her long brown hair was no longer perfectly brushed behind a headband. Rather, it was messy, as if tossed around in a washing machine, with the only sign of her previous hairstyle in the headband that was only partially worn right. Her eyes were full of agonizing worry, red from undoubtedly crying. When she came out, she was holding Waddles, as if he were the only thing keeping her connected to the world.

Next came Toriel and Sans. Sans came out of the driver's seat at the same time Toriel came out of the passenger's side. Sans looked perfectly calm, but whenever Dipper was able to look into the old man's eyes, he could see a hidden panic. A panic that seemed to grip Sans' being and wounded him. It was hidden, but it was just as bad as Mabel's panic. Toriel, on the other hand, had motherly worry all over her face. Tears trailed down her cheeks as she seemed to waver in the night breeze and shake with each sob.

The door behind Toriel opened and out popped Alex, who seemed to be the only person who didn't look too emotionally hurt, and even he was partially concerned. Behind his tough facade was a worry that seemed more likely to turn to anger, rather than tears.

Sans seemed to speak to everyone, although through the window, it was unclear as to what he was saying. However, it must have been bad, because almost immediately, Mabel promptly burst into tears. Alex, upon seeing and hearing the sobs, ran around to the other side and hugged her, whispering words of comfort. It was truly a pitiful sight as Toriel, Sans, and Alex led her into the house in their hands and arms.

Dipper didn't hesitate to run out of his room and stand on the balcony as they entered through the door. Mabel was led by all three of the others, each one of them paying attention to the distressed girl, rather than looking around the house. Once they reached the living room, she fell to the floor on her knees, where everyone kneeled around her.

"D-Dipper w-wouldn't just leave us!" Mabel wailed. "H-h-he's gone away without warning before, but *sniff* h-he's never left us for this long!"

"I know, my child," Toriel reassured calmly, although it seemed she was reassuring herself more than anything. "He'll come back. Children always do."

"But what if it's my fault?!" Mable cried out. "I'm the worst sister in the whole world, and Dipper is gone forever. Sweatertown is the only place I belong." As if to make a point, Mabel covered her face with the collar of her shirt, and her sleeves were now void of her arms, which were wrapped around her inside the sweater.

"look, ba- i mean, kid," Sans started, subconsciously looking at Toriel, who smiled a little at his change of words. "i promise on my life that i will bring both you and your brother back home safe and sound. you said it yourself. no sibling would leave their families. we just have to wait and hope he'll come around."

"In fact, he's right there," Alex answered stoically, as Dipper now realized he had stood to his full height and was staring at Dipper, neither accusingly or innocently. Immediately, everyone turned towards the top of the stairs in amazement, as if a miracle had just unfolded.

Dipper, feeling a bit self-conscious, cleared his throat and walked down the stairs quickly. Then, he stood in front of them and looked at Mabel apologetically. "I'm sorry. I should've called."

"DIPPER!" Mabel yelled as she tackled Dipper with a desperate hug. She didn't dare let go, as she started to sob tears of joy. Toriel, tears of relief in her eyes, ran over and joined in the hug, squeezing the two in a motherly embrace. Alex sighed as he sauntered into the group hug and joined as well, each one other hugging each other lovingly. The only one left was Sans.

It was an understatement to say that Sans was conflicted. Heck, all of his emotions were conflicting, but this one dumbfounded him and left him to look at the hug with a serious stare. There was tons of questions he wanted to ask and frankly, he didn't want to ask them at the same time. He wanted to join the hug, and yet he felt like it was bad to reward such behavior. He sighed, as the hug finished and as the other four talked about what had happened.

He would have a serious talk about what had happened later.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Dipper's grin fell when after everyone left, Sans stared coldly at him in the living room. Mabel sat in a chair, looking slightly unsettled but unwilling to move, as a cup of hot chocolate made by Ms. Toriel herself was right in front of her. It was like waiting for a war. You never knew who would win and how bad it would be.

Sans was the first to speak. "where were ya, kid?" He asked coldly, emphasizing the word "kid".

Dipper found it strange that although he had feared his Grunkle's anger for so long, he felt a type of courage fill him up, as well as defiance and rage. All that he needed. "I was exploring somewhere and I lost track of time," he replied, defiantly.

"what place?" Sans probed. "the underground?"

"No," Dipper answered.

"dipper, this is important. we were worried sick," Sans continued, his voice turning into a tired tone.

"Really? Well, that's a first," Dipper countered, ruthlessly. It hit Sans like a barb. Sans widened his eyes as a flame began in his eyes.

"What does that mean?" Sans finally said, his voice firm and cold.

"Please, guys, don't do this! Let's just sleep on it," Mabel suggested, but it simply added fuel to the flame burning in Dipper's SOUL.

"No, Mabel!" Dipper snapped back, causing her to flinch. "I am done 'sleeping on it' and 'waiting'."

Tears formed in Mabel's eyes, but Dipper didn't care. When a whimper came out, Sans glanced at her with pity in his eyes, before turning his stone-cold gaze on Dipper, who merely returned the favor.

"The only time you actually cared where I was was when I was not in danger. You know how messed up that is!" Dipper shouted back. "If you really cared, you would be there. If you really cared, you would save us from danger. If you really cared, you would STOP KEEPING SECRETS FROM US!"

It was silent as the words echoed. Mabel merely watched in terror at the fighting. What was happening to her family?!

Finally, Sans answered. "it's because i care about you that i keep secrets from you."

"Really? Because it seems like you just want to keep some things to yourself just so you can feel so almighty and powerful!" Dipper yelled again. "Would you do that to your family? Would you do that to us if we were ACTUALLY your family?!"

"what are you talking about?"

"Stop playing dumb, Sans! Dad already told us the truth. The truth is that you will never treat us like family because YOUR BROTHER ADOPTED MY DAD!"

Mabel gasped. That was it. The secret was out. The secret everyone knew but didn't want to acknowledge. Dipper had just said and acknowledged it. The secret that had left Mabel in tears when her father told them that their Grunkle was actually not blood related to them. The seam that had been sewed together by their father and their grandfather for decades was now broken by her own brother.

It was true, and yet it still hurt like a deep cut doused in lemon juice. It broke their family a part, and yet it also kept them together. No one spoke of it. Even a generation away, it still felt like their parents had just told them they were adopted. However, Mabel thought it was unfair. Family wasn't only about blood, and yet Dipper had swung this false statement like a sword. Mabel had come to love her Grunkle Sans as if he were actually her blood related Grunkle. It didn't matter to her, and yet it still hurt to be reminded of something that she wished to have, but was always out of reach.

Mabel saw the exact same emotions play out throughout Sans' face, and she deeply wanted to run up and comfort him. Tell him it wasn't true, and that he was doing a great job at being a loving Grunkle. Tell him he was the best Grunkle in the entire world. However, she would betray her brother. It was a double edged sword, and she didn't want to join the argument whatsoever.

"We were never blood related to you, and now I see why! I bet if I was your brother, you would tell me the truth!" Dipper continued despite the pain and the strong urge to apologize.

"it was because of people like you that he didn't want the truth! my bro was hurt by people who thought they could handle the truth," Sans countered softly.

"So he was just like you, then!" Sans looked up, and he suddenly knew what Dipper was going to say. Immediately, his tone grew somber and serious.

"Think carefully about what you are going to say, Kid," Sans warned, calmly.

Still, Dipper didn't heed his warning. "A Comedian with no regard to one's feelings just because he wants to hide the truth."

Mabel felt it. Sans was starting to fume, and she had to stop before an explosion occurred. "Dipper! Stop!"

"A man with no love towards a family, adopted or not!" Finally, Dipper went in for the final strike. "In other words, AN IDIOT AND JERK YOU WORSHIP AS AN IDOL!"

 **"SHUT THE HELL UP!"** It came so suddenly. With the sudden outburst from Sans, Dipper's bravery was gone, and he had just invoked his Grunkle's wrath. Sans' teeth were clenched together and his hands were balled into fists that shivered with his own wrath. He glared at Dipper with the power of a raging inferno, and immediately, it felt like Dipper's sins were crawling on his back.

 **"My brother was a better person than I will ever be."** Sans said, slowly, letting each word sink in. **"You can insult me all you like, Mason Pines, but you can't insult MY brother!"**

Anger, fear, hatred. Those were all things Dipper felt, and unable to tell them to Grunkle Sans in an outraged fashion, he simply let out an angry grunt as he stormed upstairs, to which he was glad his Grunkle hadn't stopped him from doing.

Once the door slammed shut, Sans felt every inch of his body lose its energy, only to be replaced with a tiredness that overpowered everything. Still, he couldn't help but stop himself from falling asleep when he heard the pleading sobs from Mabel, the innocent bystander who had wept for both of them.

Sans sighed. He felt ashamed. He had never lost himself in that kind of seething anger in years. He had promised never to use that on someone he hated ever again, and yet he used it on someone he loved dearly. He truly was the scum of the earth. His brother was always better.

Slowly, he went beside Mabel, who continued to cry, and stretched his arms out for the universal sign of a hug. Immediately, Mabel fell into his arms, smothering her head into his jacket, as to wipe the tears away.

"i'm sorry. i'm so sorry, mabel. i didn't- i didn't mean to-" Sans stuttered, unable to find the right words. He never could find the right words in emotional situations. That's why he always avoided them whenever possible. However, he always made exceptions for families.

"I'm sorry, Grunkle Sans! Please don't stay angry at Dipper! He didn't mean it. You are our family," Mabel reassured through the fabric of the old jacket.

 _Yeah, right,_ Sans thought. _Family totally attacks their own family. I really am the worst of the bunch. Why couldn't Papy be here instead of me?_

"no, mabel. i'm sorry. i should never have snapped at your brother. i understand if he hates me." Sans answered, apologetically, not making eye contact in his shame.

"He doesn't hate you, Grunkle Sans!" Mabel urged, causing Sans to look at her. "He just has his moments. He takes after Dad."

"yeah..." Sans replied quietly as he led Mabel to the couch. Immediately, he laid on the couch and made a signal for Mabel to come on. She happily obliged and laid on his stomach, quickly falling under the sweet spell of sleep. Sans smiled sadly to himself before frowning once more. As sleep overwhelmed him, as it always did, he muttered in his drowsiness.

"i take after my ol' man too."

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To be honest, Dipper thought his rage would be gone by sunrise. Deep down, he wanted to apologize to Grunkle Sans. He always did, no matter how many times he tried to convince himself otherwise. He fell asleep, hoping his anger would cease to exist, so that he and Grunkle Sans could be friends again.

He was wrong.

When he woke up early in the morning before the sun had risen, he still felt the fierce flames of his hatred and anger. It was like a match to gasoline, and as much as he wanted the flame to extinguish, he also didn't want to stop the anger he held. In his frustration, he kicked some of the boxes that held some of the stuff he took that summer, not caring about whether things were breakable or not. He didn't even notice that he never did become destructive whenever he was angry, but for some reason, now, it just felt right to do it.

As he cried out in frustration with each kick, Chara finally appeared with a smug expression on her face. However, he didn't notice. Her arms were crossed as she waited for his anger to subside. Finally, when all of his destructive energy was out, he sat on the sill of the window, where cushions were, with his head in his hands. He just felt so angry, but he also felt so wrong. What was wrong? He certainly didn't know. This wasn't like him at all, and yet it felt like he had been like this all the time.

 _"It hurts, doesn't it?"_ Dipper lifted his head, bitter tears in his eyes, and looked at the friendly, smiling face of his ghostly friend, Chara. _"When a family member betrays you."_

Dipper nodded slowly and surely, with a look of DETERMINATION, defiance, and fire. Chara smiled brightly before she sat beside Dipper near the sill. She looked into his eyes, as if searching his soul. Maybe she was reading his mind. It used to be creepy, but now he couldn't think of anyone better to trust with his mind.

 _"I know that pain well. Trust me. It never goes away,"_ Chara's grin vanished as she gave Dipper a solemn and understanding look.

"I just wish he would trust someone other than himself for once in his life!" Dipper finally said, his emotions getting the better of him. "I just want to know how secrets."

 _"And I know how desperately you want those secrets,"_ Chara answered, sadness entering her voice. _"I just wish I could help you find them."_

"You can," Dipper replied with a ferocity that made Chara lift an eyebrow in slight surprise. "I accept."

 _"You accept what?"_ Chara asked, clearly intrigued.

"I accept your deal."

The room was silent for a while as the words sunk in. Chara seemed to be a bit surprised at first, before a pencil-thin smile crossed her face. The wheels were turning within her head as to what to do next.

 _"Alright, but first, we have to define the terms for your side of the deal,"_ She responded rather seriously. _"What do you want, just so that we could have in the book, as it were."_

"I want you to use any means necessary to figure out what secrets my Grunkle is hiding from me," Dipper said quite confidently, but also quite heated, as he didn't think through the words he was saying.

 _"And what will you do in return?"_ She asked, interested as to what he was going to say.

"I am willing to do anything you want!" He yelled out, although not loud enough to alert anyone else in the house. He was throwing caution to the wind. He wanted his Grunkle to pay.

Chara grinned happily. Her red eyes shined brightly as she pretended to weigh the pros and cons of the deal. Dipper merely awaited the verdict, that was almost definitely a yes.

 _"Alright. You have convinced me. Let's do this,"_ She cleared her road before she finally spoke again. _"Repeat what I say, but replace 'Chara Dreemurr' with your full name, okay? This makes my powers work."_

Dipper nodded, and before he knew it, Chara started reciting for him. _"I, Chara Dreemurr, agree to the terms given to me and will follow through with the deal until the terms are met."_

"I, Mason 'Dipper' Pines, agree to the terms given to me and will follow through with the deal until the terms are met," After reciting the words, Chara immediately put out her hand for a handshake. However, there was something strange about it.

Dark red flames surrounded her hands, although if didn't seem to bother, burn, or hurt her in anyway. Though concerned for his own wellbeing, he trusted Chara with his life. With his anger, hatred, defiance, and unhappiness towards his Grunkle, he shook Chara's hand, sealing the deal as pink spread across the sky from the sunrise.

The red flames travelled up both of their arms, although it did not consume them as the flames seemed to mark the unbreakable vow. As Dipper watched the flames, he failed to notice Chara's growing grin until she started laughing. It was a cruel giggle that made Dipper snap out of his state. Actually, not only did he snap out of his state right then, but he finally felt normal the first time in weeks. The anger that had washed over him had weakened to a mild feeling of betrayal and pain. Unfortunately, it was too late.

 _"Pleasure doing business with you,"_ Chara said, coldly and cruelly. It set Dipper on edge, finally making him ask what he had done. As she lifted her head to look at him in the eyes, he was startled to encounter glowing, bright red eyes with an insane grin as she said the final word. _"Partner."_

As the flames died down on their hands, Chara yanked Dipper towards her, startling him and causing him to scream as he fell to the ground... or at least that's what he was supposed to land on. However, as he fell, pain overwhelmed his entire body. It was as if he were connected to a wall via superglue and someone had just swiftly and painfully pulled him off. His vision went red as the pain reached its agonizing peak. This time, it felt like he had broken all of his bones and had torn all of his muscles. Again, he screamed as his vision went black, tears forming in his eyes from the anguish.

Then, as if it had never happened, the pain subsided. Panting for breath, he tried to regain composure as he rubbed the tears from his eyes. As he opened his eyes, however, he gasped as he looked at his hand. His hand was see through, much like Chara's had been. He covered his mouth in fear as he stared down below him to notice he was floating in mid air. What had Chara done to him? He was now a ghost! Had he died? ...Where was Chara?

Cautiously, he turned his gaze to his limp body that had fallen from the sill and had slumped to the floor. Then, one of the fingers twitched. In horror, Dipper realized he hadn't moved it at all. He hadn't commanded his body to move. Suddenly, his body swiftly stood up, the head still lulling down near his chest, making his eyes not seen. His head turned back and forth as if looking down at his body. Then, his hands started making fists and then relaxing them, as if making sure they were real.

Dipper felt fear crawl through his non-existent body as his own mouth made an insane grin. Then, his body giggled malevolently. It was strange hearing his own voice, watching his own mouth move without him doing it, and it unhinged Dipper as he heard his own voice laugh crazily. Then, his body finally lifted his head and Dipper gasped.

His eyes were glowing red, just like Chara's. Now, he knew who took over his body, and yet the many feelings he felt clashed in his mind and he found himself conflicted and unable to move.

"Finally," Dipper's voice said, although it was clearly Chara's words. "I have been waiting for so long for another chance like this!"

Dipper's body, or rather Chara, seemed to finally regain focus on her mission as she looked down at Dipper's hands.

"Another chance," she murmured to herself, a silly grin on her face. Then, she walked over to Mabel's side of the room to the tall mirror.

 _"What have you done, Chara?!"_ Dipper yelled into the empty transparent void, finally finding his voice.

Chara, or rather Chipper, looked up at Dipper's ghostly form, clearly intrigued. It was the type of interest a man with a magnifying glass might give to an ant. A look of superiority. The look of someone who had won.

"I forgot you were here! Welcome to the Mindscape, a place that is literally the worst. Here, watch this!" Chara yelled as she picked up a big box that belonged to Dipper and threw it at him. Dipper flinched and covered his eyes, only to realize it didn't hurt him one bit. As he glanced the room, he noticed the box was directly behind him, spilling the contents, which just do happened to be pictures of Wendy.

 _"How is that possible?! It just went through me! It was like-"_ Dipper stopped himself from saying it, for fear that if he said it, it might come true. Instead, Chara nodded with a smug grin on her face.

"Like you don't exist?" She finished, mockingly. "That's because you technically don't! That's just your consciousness. Don't use it all in one place! If you are knocked out in the Mindscape, you die unless you enter a body."

He shuttered, imagining what could happen because of that. Chara would live in his body forever if he was knocked out. Chara forever in a human shell that looked like Dipper. Chara smirked as it seemed she had figured out what he was thinking, and decided to spell it out for him.

"Imagine, a world where your mind and SOUL died before your body does," she replied with a smile, before a frown replaced it. "The exact opposite of what happened to me. My body died before my consciousness."

 _"Let go of my body!"_ Dipper finally cried out, panic taking over his senses and mind.

Chara shook her head, clicking her tongue. "Geez, Dipper. Was I ever this annoying when I was in the Mindscape? Now give me a second."

She turned to look into Mabel's mirror, tearing off the pictures of Mabel's weekly crushes if it were in her way, and frankly, even if they weren't. First, she put her hand on her chin as a confident smile crossed Dipper's mouth. Then, she took off the blue hat Dipper had always worn from day one and checked under his bangs. Underneath was his birthmark that was in the shape of the Big Dipper. Her smile grew wider. It was almost like she was exploring a whole new world of possibilities, since she was finally in a body.

"Not bad," she finally mused to herself, before flexing her arms. "Hmmmm... Not the most athletic, but you have about the same body type as Frisk. Not a big change for me. On the plus side, you have more flesh on your bones than Frisk did at the time. At least you weren't starving yourself, like she was."

Finally, she stopped inspecting her new body in the mirror and rather looked at her eyes, red as blood. "Overall, not bad. I've certainly had worse. Let's just... improve this body for a second."

Quickly, Chipper put her hand over Dipper's heart, before seemingly grabbing something. As she "pulled it out", Dipper felt rather... strange. It was hard to explain the feeling. It was as though he were condensed into a single item, and yet he still remained floating above Chipper. Then, he felt this condensed version of himself in Chipper's hands. Just as he felt that way, red strings came out of his body's chest and seemed to collect in her hands. As it did, the string became a single solid shape: a floating red heart in Chipper's hands. As she pulled it farther from his chest, however, he noticed that this heart was connected to a necklace. No. Not a necklace. It looked like one, but it wasn't one. It was a chain. Though he didn't know what that heart was, he knew one thing: the necklace was a chain, and he was held hostage by that chain.

With a smug grin, Chara took her hand off of the red heart and swung her arm back into its place quickly. As she did, however, it was like a magic trick, for once her arm went past his shirt, it changed from his usual faded reddish-orange color t-shirt into a sweater with green and yellow stripes. Just like Chara's.

"Such a strong SOUL," Chara mused again, as if it were a compliment. "I promise I will use it well." She giggled, as if it were an inside joke she had just made.

 _"Give my body back, Chara! The deal's off!"_ Dipper shouted, his anger rising and boiling over. Chara merely looked at him like he was a pest she merely had to bear through before she could finally kill him.

"You can't break a deal," she said, before she brought her hand up towards Dipper. "You shook my hand. That makes a deal unbreakable. If you didn't want me to use your body, maybe you should've defined some terms."

His heart sank. It was true. His ignorance. His utter hatred. His anger. Defiance. All of those things had led him to this time. It was his fault. Just because he wanted to know the truth about his uncle. Now, he was unable to do anything. Hug Mabel and tell her he loved her, say goodbye to his parents, even reunited with Grunkle Sans. He wanted to do all those things, but now he couldn't. He felt cold. Cold and distant. He felt like disappearing.

"That's it, Dipper. Let your consciousness drift to sleep. You can only die if your consciousness is attacked," she clarified as Dipper felt like he was fading more and more. " **Just let me take care of things.** "

As he felt himself fade into the background of Chara's thoughts, he couldn't help but feel overwhelming sadness. Tears came into his eyes and he let them flow freely. Only Chara could see them, after all. He sobbed, his spectral body shaking as his sobs wracked his body. He continued to fade, but it didn't matter.

This was all his fault.

All his fault...

All his...

Fault...

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Mabel found herself slowly waking up on the belly of her Grunkle Sans. As she yawned, she gazed at Sans' face. She truly loved Grunkle Sans. He was like a friendly uncle that only wanted to get to know her. He wasn't a stick in the mud, but he wasn't dumb either. Just right. In the middle. Perfect in the best way.

She smiled a little. They were family. It didn't matter that their grandpa had adopted their dad. Sans didn't treat them any differently. That was something Dipper didn't see.

However, she wasn't stupid or oblivious either. She noticed the pain and weariness in her Grunkle's eyes whenever he looked at the twins. She saw the darkness to his light. She understood that he was not truly happy, but that since she and her brother were now here, he was the happiest he had ever been. Not truly happy, but close. He had secrets, but that was what made him special. He was like a gift, waiting under the Christmas tree, until he was ready to reveal them to them. She never doubted Grunkle Sans would tell them his secrets. She just had to wait.

The thing Dipper had failed to realize was the fact Sans truly liked him. Loved him, in fact. She had noticed it. There was something that was in Sans' gaze. Something different, that wasn't in his eyes when he looked at her. Not better, just different. It was like happiness, but with a deep, painful regret behind it. Neither emotion was a facade, and both were equally present. Dipper had only realized the regret in Sans' eyes, and not the full picture. Much like everything else Dipper did.

Abruptly, the door to their room flung open, bringing Mabel out of her thoughts. In surprise, Mabel lifted her head to see her brother. She would've smiled and said "hi" if something didn't shock her to the core. Something was wrong. Dipper's mouth was a frown, as if concentrating. On his back was his brown and tan backpack, presumably full of items he thought he needed for wherever he was going. As he went down the stairs in a rushed fashion, Mabel felt an urge to ask him what was wrong, but she wanted to know where he was going, and Dipper would often hide things from her, if caught.

Because of this, when Dipper reached the floor and looked up at Sans and Mabel, she was laying down, her eyes closed as if asleep. She tried to calm her breathing down, as to not give herself away. Silence. Only the soft breathing of Grunkle Sans could be heard. She laid there, wondering if it had worked. Had Dipper moved away without making a sound, or was he waiting for her to think that, and then make her blow her cover? She didn't know, and she wished she would find out which was the case.

Luckily, her wish came true, when after the strange moment of quiet, she heard the soft padding of footprints and the creaking of the door that led to the shop part of the Mystery Shack. Cautiously, she opened her eyes to find the room empty. She sighed in relief, before getting straight to business. Was Dipper running away? She hoped not! Sans and Dipper were not so different. All they needed was to see that.

She slowly slipped off of Sans' stomach, hoping not to awaken him. Then, she cautiously tiptoed a few steps away, keeping her eye on Sans. Then, once she thought she was in the clear, she went a little faster to the door. She carefully opened the door, before she looked back at Grunkle Sans. She felt regret. What better was she if she didn't tell Sans about this situation? She was no better than Dipper was in trying to run away! However, she knew she was the only one who could even have a remote chance of persuading him, and she was DETERMINED.

"I'll be back soon," Mabel murmured softly, before she slipped through the door and softly closed it behind her.

Little did she know that a moment after her departure, someone else stirred in the house. Little did she know that someone else had heard everything. Little did she know that this person was the best at acting like he was asleep, even if it were for nine hours.

In the house, a few seconds after Mabel left, Sans' eyes opened slightly with a quiet groan.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Soos, have you ever wondered what Sans was like when he was younger?" Wendy asked out of the blue.

Soos had gone outside to do the annual car tune-up for Grunkle Sans and Wendy had gone out to accompany him, since there were barely any customers, and whoever was left could help themselves. Wendy was up against the wall of the shack next to the car with a soda can in her hand as she seemed to be thinking. Soos, having heard the question, rolled out from under the car with oil and grease all over his face with a questioning look on his face.

"What do you mean?" Soos replied, wanting clarification.

"I mean, he has been around for so long and has always been old. I mean, let's not play dumb sidekicks who have no background or character. We've all know Sans for our entire lives, and yet he never seems to age," She answered with seriousness. "I mean, aren't you even a little curious about what he was like when he was younger?"

Soos hummed to himself as he put his greasy finger to his cheek and looked up at his forehead. "Well, I always imagined him as the mischievous type of kid. Y'know, the one that tricks everybody in order to get money."

"What? No way!" Wendy responded dismissively. "I always imagined him as the bad boy kinda kid. Those guys usually have a lot of experience, and Sans certainly seems to talk from experience about a lot of things."

"Well, I also kind of imagined him as being kind of like you," Soos said, thoughtfully.

That alone made Wendy turn to look at Soos with a questioning and unsure expression. "Me?"

"Yeah. I mean, the dude totally gets you, dude," He replied cryptically. "He always asks how you are doing raising your many brothers whenever you two are basically alone."

Wendy let out her breath a little hotly before crossing her arms defiantly. "Yeah... Well, he only does that for conversation starters."

"But he actually listens and responds as if he understands what it is like to raise your siblings all on your own," Soos pointed out. "One time, he let you go out early when you were worried that your brothers the chicken pox."

"Psshhh... He must've known I was only using that as an excuse to get out of work, right?" Wendy responded, although she seemed hesitant and not as confident.

"But have you heard him talk about his parents before?" Soos asked, causing Wendy to look at him with sincerity. "I'm pretty sure I've only heard him talk about his brother, and Undyne told Dipper and Mabel to treat him well, since his mother passed away, his brother is gone and his father is never mentioned, which means he is never coming back like... my dad..."

Wendy and Soos exchanged glances. Soos had a saddened expression after mentioning his father, who he realized would never come back on his birthday. Wendy was trying to keep from not getting too emotional, seeing as how her mother was dead too. As it turned out, the two people Sans had hired were the two people he must've related to the most. The happy workaholic handyman who would never see his father. The lazy teen who had to suffer the loss of her mother in silence while taking care of her many brothers. The depressed old man, who had lost his mother, would never get to see his father, and was suffering from the loss of his brother, whom he had taken care of.

Soos immediately brightened up as he went back to fixing the car and went underneath. Wendy sighed as she tried to process what it would be like to grow up the way Sans had. To add to it, she could finally count the many times Sans had actually listened to her problems. He was like a bartender; he always had a fun job, but he has his own problems and is willing to listen to other people's problems as they cry into their mugs.

She was interrupted from her thoughts when the door to the Mystery Shack opened. Down the sidewalk came Dipper. It was odd to see him out early in the morning. His head was looking down at his feet, as if worried the sidewalk might fall out from under him. On his back was his backpack, full of items he had packed up.

"Hey Dipper," Wendy greeted with a lazy smile on her face.

"Yo dude!" Soos said as he came out from under the car. He smiled and waved at Dipper.

Dipper seemed to freeze in place, his back turned to the two workers. He seemed unsure as to what to do. He seemed to shiver in place as he murmured under his voice.

"Don't wake up. I swear, you will not ruin this for me," Dipper whispered soundlessly to himself. Then, he seemed to resolve the conflict in himself.

"Howdy," he replied without even turning his back towards them. Soos and Wendy exchanged glances, but before they could respond, Dipper left quickly.

"That was odd," Wendy responded, intrigued and concerned. "That was the first time he has gone by me without saying things under his breath about his obvious crush on me."

"Same, dude," Soos agreed. "Like, when has he ever said, 'howdy'?"

"Something sinister is afoot," she concluded, seriousness entering her voice.

Just as soon as Dipper was out of sight, the door to the Shack opened once more, this time more frantically and quickly as a worried Mabel came out and looked around.

"Did you guys see Dipper? Which way did he go?" She asked in a rapid fire fashion.

"Dude, he went that way," Soos answered, pointing down the path where Dipper went.

"What's going on, Mabel? He is not acting like himself," Wendy said.

"I have no idea. He was gone yesterday for hours and now he is leaving again!" Mabel nearly yelled. "I'm going after him."

"Don't thank you aren't going without us," Wendy replied with a DETERMINED and BRAVE look on her face.

"Yeah, dude. You need us," Soos agreed with a nervous but willing expression.

"Well, c'mon! Let's go after him!" Mabel cried out, before running the way Soos had pointed out. She ran with all her might, trying to gain ground, only to be exhausted moments later. Luckily, Soos drove up beside her in a golf cart, with Wendy in the passenger's seat.

"Quick! Come in!" Wendy ordered as Mabel climbed into the cart, sitting on both Wendy and Soos, as there were no other seats. Then, she pointed forward.

"Onward, team!" She shouted as the golf cart drove forward at a speedy pace, every single person hoping Dipper was okay.

"Where do you think he's going, dudes?" Soos asked as he drove the cart with reckless abandon.

"I dunno!" Wendy responded with a shrug, immediately panicked.

"Wait!" Mabel yelled out, as she closed her eyes for a moment. It seemed rather awkward, but then, as she opened her eyes, she pointed at the huge mountain before them. Mount Ebott.

"There! He's going up there!" Wendy and Soos did not dare to question it, for they didn't care. They just wanted Dipper to be safe and sound, and they didn't question how she could sense him. It seemed as if she could feel him.

Like Mabel could feel him with her very SOUL.

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Chara groaned as she climbed up the summit. As it turned out, Dipper was weaker than she initially thought, although this did not matter too much. Even if she were fighting the Comedian again, she would be able to do it with his body just fine. She had resolved to stay far away from his friends and family. Every time she dared to speak or even look at them, Dipper tried to wake up.

However, if she stayed away for long enough, his soul would might as well be her soul. Her soul to have. Her soul to keep. Her soul to give. It all came down to that. This was her well-thought out plan she had planned to do to Dipper since day 1. In a way, her motive began with her death. Well, it mattered not.

Finally, she reached her destination. It was a little flat plateau. As she reached it, she let out a sigh as she looked out at the view. It was truly beautiful. The surrounding mountains seemed to corral the entire city within its boundaries. Across from Mount Ebott, in the distance, was a cliff, with the outline of a spaceship cut out, where the light of early morning was coming through. Before her was the giant lake that held a tiny island in its grasp.

After gaining her breath and making sure she was still in control, though she had no doubt she was, she turned to the side of the mountain. In the wall was a door, cut out and delicately carved with the Delta Rune she was ever so fond of. With a smirk, she entered the door and took a deep breath.

"Welcome home," she mused to herself, feeling both nostalgic and bitter towards the entire place. It was funny the only place she truly felt at home was the place no one was supposed to feel at home.

The room was dark and damp, with the only light coming from the door she had just come from. Luckily, her ability to make her eyes glow, including eyes of the people she controlled, had some use in the matter. There was unrest within her, though. She needed this SOUL. It was her job to do it. If people saw her as evil, that was fine. They would realize their folly once they saw the bigger picture. She was the hero no one saw. The angel everyone saw as a demon. The human child who was a monster. Truly, she was the outcast.

However, with a new SOUL in her control, there were new ways she could falter. The more caring and ethical a SOUL was, the more anyone who was connected to or took the SOUL could feel. For the first time in years, she had feelings, and she didn't appreciate it.

As usual, she hid her turmoil behind an evil grin and forgot it all together with her steely resolve. Finally, she went on. After corridor after corridor, she finally found the beautiful garden that Asgore had nurtured ever since they were trapped. Flowers were truly his passion. It made her pause and listen to the silence. It felt empty. Like a body without a SOUL. A consciousness without a SOUL. Chara could almost see herself there, pushing her monster friend into the flowers, giggling like madmen.

With a dark expression, she almost ran through the room. Too many memories. Too much regret. Buttercups danced in the breeze as she ran past. She could almost hear sobbing in the wind.

Unfortunately, the next room made her stop. Birds that had traveled from the world above sang. Flowers were opening each one of their little petals, though they did not grow in this room. It was a beautiful day, and a beautiful room. Her mouth trembled and a shiver went through her body, as she spoke.

"Judgement Hall."

The hall was gigantic, with a high ceiling and long pillars holding it up. Stained glass made yellow light fall onto the ground before her. Each stained glass made a recognizable shadow on the floor. The Delta Rune. It seemed appropriate the Angel of the Underground would return and walk on the silhouettes.

Suddenly, the world changed before her in a blink of an eye. She gasped. Blood. Blood everywhere, and somehow she knew it was her's. No. Frisk's. Still, whenever she took over a body, she was the only one that felt the pain. A bloody handprint was on many of the columns and she felt the pain. She grimaced as Dipper's body seemed to move on its own accord and fall to the ground. When she blinked again, the image was gone. However, her vision was enough to wake the spectral figure of Dipper again.

 _"What are you doing, Chara?"_ A sharp, accusing voice sliced through her thoughts as she got up, unseen but not unheard.

"You wouldn't understand, Pine Tree, but we are all pawns in someone else's chess game," Chara replied with a sneer.

 _"Then what are you trying to achieve?!"_ Dipper asked, causing Chara to flinch, but not yield.

"I'm queening a pawn," she responded, cryptically. However, she knew that Dipper was smart enough to understand her intentions, yet not her methods.

 _"My family will stop you,"_ he said, defiantly and unyielding. Chara smiled. He was so much like Sans, and yet so much like herself.

"I plan on it. I hope your precious Comedian comes. I want him to feel the same pain I felt when he killed me," Chara replied coldly, as she spat out each word. "Over, and over, and over again!"

She laughed, unable to control herself. It was just hilarious to think about. Her armor had come in the form of a weak boy from California. Powerful, yes, but the power was hidden from himself. Finally, she gasped a breath.

"But don't worry, Dipper. I'm keeping my side of the deal. I'll have Sans tell his secrets, and then you will watch him die!"

The last word rang out and no reply came, but she knew Dipper was awake. In fact, she hoped he was awake. The game was about to begin. With no hesitation, Chara walked down the corridor, letting the boots on her feet echo with no competition. As she was about two-thirds of the way to the door, a voice came from behind her.

"Where are you going, Dipper?"

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 _Mabel._ Dipper felt a growing dread as he watched Chara turn to face his twin sister. Her dark eyes were meek and pleading. She stared right at his body with an unwillingness to back away. Her breathing was shaky when she saw Chara's red eyes. Mabel looked down at her shoes, as though unsure she wanted to take the next move. Her entire body shook as it seemed to take all her willpower to move towards Chipper. Dipper felt nonexistent tears fall from his cheeks that he couldn't scrub off his cheeks.

 _"Mabel! Leave! It's not me!"_ He yelled, trying beyond all hope to reach his sister. Maybe his sister felt something, for she seemed to look up. Then, a BRAVE look crossed her face as she finally took the first step, despite Dipper's pleas.

"Dipper?" Mabel said again, trying to get a response as she started her slow walk towards Chara.

"Yes, Mabel?" Chara replied, her smile gone as she looked at Mabel, observing every action and move.

"Are you leaving us because of your eyes? Is this what is wrong with you?" Mabel stopped, halfway between where she was and Chara.

Chara sighed. "How did you find me?"

"We followed you," she responded with guilt in her face.

"We?" Chara asked, one of her eyebrows lifting in a questioning expression.

"Y-yes. We." Mabel immediately motioned towards the two pillars behind her. To the right came Soos, looking at Dipper's body agape. Meanwhile, Wendy came out from the left and simply stared at him, scanning the changes Chara had done.

 _Wendy._ It hit Dipper like a bullet wound. Chara was clearly a psychopath, willing to do anything for the "greater good,". Wendy, his crush he had known since the beginning of Summer, was not going to understand. If his body randomly started attacking her, she would assume it was Dipper, not a ghost. His love life was doomed. Maybe even her life was doomed, even if it were ridiculous for Chara to hurt someone in his body without a weapon.

"Dipper? Dude, what happened to your eyes?" Wendy said with concern. This time, Dipper didn't even bother to try to get their attention. Clearly, he couldn't be heard and couldn't help. All he could do was watch.

"Who did you come with?" Chara responded, ignoring the question.

"Dude, we came with nobody else," Soos answered, looked back at his friends who nodded in agreement.

"Please, Dipper. What happened? Why are your eyes red?" Mabel pleaded.

"Eyes... always the eyes..." Chara murmured, loud enough, though, that everyone could hear.

"Like, Dude, she really wants to know." Soos joined.

"First my parents, then Asriel..."

"Dipper, we promise we won't judge you. I think you look pretty cool with red eyes," Wendy complimented, although it was clear she was on edge.

"Then Mom and Dad, then-"

"SHUT UP AND ANSWER THE QUESTION!" Mabel shouted, catching Chara off guard. Mabel panted as Wendy and Soos looked at her with admiration.

"It doesn't matter."

"Why doesn't it matter?" Mabel asked, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Chara motioned her head right behind Mabel. "Because the Comedian is right behind you."

Dipper felt his tears catch in his throat as he watched his three friends turn and part to the side. Right there was his Grunkle. The family member he had wronged. However, everything seemed different about him. He seemed more sinister. More serious. More judgmental. His jacket, though still covered in ketchup stains and had pockets with holes in the bottom, didn't look like it was lazily put on. It seemed to have been thoughtfully straightened out. His hair, though not combed, looked more agitated than usual and he seemed to walk in front of the rest with purpose; something his normal walk didn't have. His hands were in his pockets as his brow lowered in distaste and agitation. However, as his pink slippers went passed the group and he was done pushing them to the side, he finally looked at Dipper's body.

Sans' agitated expression turned to one of horrified surprise. He stared right into Chara's eyes, searching for a sign that the boy that once was there was still there. Dipper's mouth turned into a twisted grin.

"Hello, Sans," she greeted with feigned kindness. "Long time no see."

"and i wish it'd stayed that way." Dipper stared at Sans as his face soon became filled with regret. His eyes looked pained, before he closed them and opened them again with fierceness and fire in his gaze. "let go of him, chara."

"Wait. Chara?" Mabel looked up at Sans questioningly, but Sans didn't respond.

Chara giggled malevolently. "How rude! You kill me when I take over Frisk, but you plead for his life when I take over him? Hypocrite!" Sans' look was unrelenting, though the pain still shown through his eyes.

"i'll ask one more time," Sans murmured, quietly but coldly. "let... him... go..."

"You know what? No!" Chara replied nonchalantly. "I think I should have a little fun. Just a Question Mark, Ice, Shooting Star, Comedian, Pine Tree, and a Megalomaniac!"

"Get behind me," Sans spoke sharply to the other three, despite their confusion.

His tone of voice seemed to make them obey in fear, as they stood behind him for protection. Chara merely laughed.

"Go ahead, Sans," she mocked. "Show them who you really are."

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Sans' entire mind was overwhelmed with emotion and reason, coming together in a catastrophic way. Reasoning told him to show them. To protect them by showing his true form. His emotions, however, told him to dodge as best he could until Dipper could reach through to him, or until they really were in trouble. This was like the summary of his life. He had a logical mind, but his emotions and gut ruled his actions and had the final say.

"You called Dipper 'Chara'. Who's Chara?" Wendy finally asked. Sans didn't take his eyes away from his old nemesis.

"that's the name of a ghost," Sans summarized, although he knew she was much more than that. "she's taken over dipper's body. she's young but dangerous." Dangerous, as in kill-you-in-one-hit kind of dangerous. Or maybe that was just his strength talking. Hell if he knew.

"Finally," Chara spoke from within the depths of Dipper's body. "You unravel your secrets. Now..."

With a smooth motion, she lifted Dipper's arm, as if pointing towards him, but as she did, she forced Dipper's hand to grip something. Red magic surrounded her hand as magic came from Dipper's soul. Red transparent books formed from the haze, before it glitched a few times, forcing them to become knives.

Sans, however, saw hope. Dipper was still there, otherwise the knife would've just formed immediately. He also wasn't helping Chara, as evidenced by the same action. He was alive and fighting, but trapped in a prison Sans had no way of breaking in. Sans, however, was DETERMINED to find a way.

Chara pointed the knife at the group, but more specifically at Sans. A creepy smile crossed Dipper's face, one Sans recognized and memorized from timelines past. With a giggle, she spoke.

 **"** **LET'S HAVE SOME FUN!"**

It was so sudden. Chara moved swiftly towards Sans, hoping to strike him off guard and stab him the in the chest, rather than slash him. However, Sans, while he was unable to use magic, learned another way to dodge: simple martial arts techniques. He sidestepped the demon so that his side was facing Chara. Then, with a quick but clever move, he grabbed the handle of the knife with his left hand and as he and Chara grappled for control over it, he used his other hand to hit Dipper's head with plenty of force to push Chara and cause her to fall flat on her back. As he did, she released her grip on the knife, leaving it to the fate of Sans.

Sans glared at her as she stood up, rolling her shoulders as if they were sore. "Very good, Comedian. I have new moves too. Ever seen a pure DT wall?"

As if the knife was never taken, another one materialized, but instead of charging head on, she slashed through the air, creating a streak of red. However, it wasn't just motion. The slashing motion stayed in the air, as if it were a wall. Then, she lifted her knife and it blinked red, causing the wall to charge at the group.

"Split!" Wendy shouted as all three of them dodged in different directions. Soos and Wendy went to the right of the wall, while Mabel jumped out of the way, last minute, to the right. Chara smiled but a look of disappointment crossed her face when she realized Sans had not taken the bait and had ran behind a pillar, only to come out after the dust had cleared.

"I see how it is, Sans. I see now," Chara said mockingly, watching Sans glare at her. "You won't fight me because of who I am in the form of!"

Sans snapped out of his glare as he came out of what Frisk had called his Judgement Mode. This wasn't Chara's hand, arm, body, or SOUL. This was Dipper's, and in those few moments of fighting, he had almost forgotten that. Guilt flooded him. No. This was wrong. If he killed Chara, he would kill Dipper. He would never forgive himself. But if he didn't kill Chara, the world would fall. It was the opposite of a win-win. He had failed. If only he had listened to his good judgement and that stupid golden flower, maybe he could've stopped it. Now, he had to remember. Dipper's hand. Dipper's arm. Dipper's body. Dipper's SOUL.

Dipper's smile faded. "You disappoint me, Comedian. I was hoping for truly heart wrenching drama, only for me to end it in a slash. But this is boring if you refuse to fight. Or even reveal your true form. At least make it so that your nephew knows what you truly were."

"what are you talking about?" He lied, although he felt a pang of guilt hit him right in the SOUL.

"Playing dumb, Comedian? Well, if you insist!" Chara smiled as the knife gleamed. She put the knife above Dipper's head before slamming it into the tile floor. As if she had broken through the crust of the Earth, a crack raced towards Sans. He looked down in confusion as it went between his legs before waves of DT came through the crack as if it were magma. As it approached Sans, his eyes widened as he ran to the right side of the room, avoiding the damage, but tired from the amount of physical exertion. Darn it. He would've lasted longer if magic were used instead. However, he couldn't. How could he explain it without dying?

As he fell to all fours and panted, he could hardly believe it when Wendy ran up with a battle cry upon her lips. Chara's smile vanished, as if there was inner turmoil in the very depths of the shared mind Chara and Dipper had. This was the opportunity Wendy was hoping for. She grasped both of Dipper's wrists and held them tightly, as to make sure they didn't escape. Chara tried to bring the knife closer, but the knife was held at an ineffective angle that was aimed towards the ceiling.

"Dipper, please. I know you're in there." Wendy said sternly as Dipper's body tried to wriggle out of her grasps. "You can beat this psycho ghost. I know you can."

Dipper's face contorted into a mix of emotions. One was anger; seething burning hatred that caused his teeth to clench into a frown, while the other emotion was desperate. Desperate to take control of his body once more. Sans hoped it was enough, but before Dipper could gain control, a crazed smile crossed his face. As Wendy continued to wrestle with the knife, Chara jerked it to the left and then to the right. However, as she did, a DT wall was drawn, aimed right at the ceiling.

With a flash of red light, Wendy looked up in horror as chunks of ceiling came crumbling to the floor. As she stepped backwards, Dipper's body slid towards her, before he moved his legs higher to hit her in the middle. As she was pushed back by the force of the impact, he swung his legs through the loop of arms Wendy and Chara made and flipped to go the way opposite of where Wendy was pushed. In mid-air, Chara brought Dipper's hands together to grasp the knife in both hands, only to bring them quickly apart, making two knives appear. As Dipper's body landed, Chara slid a little as she put both knives into the ground to stop her momentum, a cocky smile crossing Dipper's face.

Wendy watched in horror from the floor as the ceiling landed on one of her legs. There was a smash and crunch as a wave of pain ran through her leg. She grit her teeth as she evaluated her leg. Clearly, her leg was broken and bruised, but she couldn't escape the debris without help. Luckily, Soos was on the move and he quickly started to try and get the broken pieces of ceiling off of her damaged leg.

"Dude! I don't know why Dipper's body is so acrobatic all of a sudden," Soos remarked as he took rock off of rock.

"Enough theorizing, more removing!" Wendy replied, trying to wiggle her leg out of the fallen boulders but to no avail.

"Two down, two to go, and one I will certainly kill!" Chara said with a malevolent smile before she looked to Sans, who now stood tall and confident. "You know you will lose, don't you, Sans? Of course you do. You're smarter than you look but you're not good at observation."

"You know I will win because of my abilities. Dipper was never athletic or acrobatic, but I have an ally who will help me with that no matter what!" Chara explained.

"and who's that? your ghostly friends?" Sans asked, though he was skeptical of what Chara could possibly have.

"I have the Writer of the very code of existence on my side! The code can't give me limitations if the Writer itself allows it!" Sans' face paled, although he immediately tried to hide it.

"i will ask once more," Sans replied, calmly but coldly. "LET HIM GO!"

"No, Comedian. I've said it once, I can say it again. I have a deal to uphold," Chara answered before getting a wicked gleam in her eye. "The question is, will you fight your precious nephew, Comedian? Will you do it of your own accord?"

With a quick motion, she slashed down both of her knives, making two DT waves aimed at Sans. As they sailed through the air, Sans dodged out of the way. Suddenly, a flash of brown hair raced by and Mabel raced right at Chara, hoping to tackle Dipper's body. Her eyes were full of concentration and DETERMINATION. However, Chara's reflexes were fast, and she caught on of her arms. She brought Mabel around, using Mabel's arm to rotate Mabel about her. Then, she let go of Mabel when she was directly opposite of Sans. She hit the ground hard and found it hard to get back up.

"KID!" Sans cried out, his hand outreached but unable to do anything... at least that's what everyone thought.

Chara smirked as a new idea came into her head. "Hmmm... I wonder..."

Sans watched in horror as Chara turned to face his niece. With only one knife, she slashed the air multiple times, creating tons of DT waves that were aimed directly at Mabel. She held Dipper's arm above his head as she waited for a precise moment. Mabel finally stood up, swaying slowly as she shook her head from the shock. A small yelp came out of her mouth when she finally lifted her head to see her brother with a sickening grin on his face, ready to take her life. Wendy and Soos watched in horrified silence as the knife flashed red and the waves went forth with outrageous speeds, about to hit its target.

Ready to hit Mabel.

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Dipper gasped as the waves hit its target and dust clouded the scene before him. It was such a shock that he didn't realize he was now partially in control of his body. When he realized, anger coursed through it towards the ghostly entity holding the other part of his body hostage. Real tears streamed from his eyes, hot and full of anguish.

"Why did you do that?!" He yelled in outrage through his mouth. "You killed Mabel! You killed my twin sister!"

"Did I?" Another voice hissed through his teeth. He realized quickly that Chara may have been partially in control over his mouth and face, but she controlled everything else. He was frozen in place, unable to move to where Mabel stood and hold her close to him while she dies. It was torture just to watch the dust clear. He knew he would see her corpse... or that's what he expected.

Dipper was promptly startled to find that when the dust had cleared, a giant skull glared at him. A giant dragon skull, now with cracks in its armor, floating in midair, obscuring the area Mabel was. Now, Dipper desperately wanted to run and investigate. Then, the dragon skull shined brightly before turning into dust, only to leave what it was protecting behind.

Everyone gaped at what they saw. Mabel was still standing, though her body was turned away from everybody. Only her sobs and the shuddering of her small fragile form told them she was alive. However, her head was buried into something and her arms were hugging the same thing. However, it wasn't something. It was someone.

Her head was buried in a blue coat with ketchup stains and holes in the pockets. Her arms wrapped around someone that was wearing black exercise shorts with a single white stripe on the side and pink slippers. However, the person she was hugging hugged back, one arm around her torso and neck while the other arm was held up above his head, as if that were the way he made the skull appear. What was odd, however, was the fact that his head was not human. It was a rounded skull, like that of a human skeleton. Where his nose was, a slit was placed and where his mouth was, a permanent smile. The smile seemed to look more like a grimace than a genuine smile. What struck everyone the most was his round eye sockets, both of which were dark, but his right eye was ablaze with a glowing light blue circle, like the iris of an eye.

As they analyzed this figure's body, it seemed that it wasn't just his head. His entire body was a skeleton. His rounded belly no longer seemed natural, but rather it seemed like a force was making him chubby and rounded, like as though he had skin, muscle, and fat around his stomach area. Everyone recognized him, but no one could believe their eyes.

"Sans?!" Wendy yelled in shock, although, if Sans heard it, he pretended not to.

Dipper felt Chara move his neck to confirm the impossible. Where Sans had been before, he was no longer there. Now, he was in front of them, but as what?

As if not caring a bit about what the others saw, he put his hand down and wrapped it around Mabel, his eyes changing literally in the blink of an eye. His eyes were still dark, but now, a single light danced in the middle of both eye socket, making it look like eyes. His expression went from the cold anger he held in his gaze after the attack into a look of reassuring compassion. His mouth was still in a smile, but it looked more sad, trying to calm down and reassure the girl he held close to him.

"it's okay, baby bones," Sans repeated again and again, looking down at Mabel with compassion. "i'm here."

Mabel looked up through tears eyes, startled to see him in a different form. "S-Sans?" She asked, seemingly asking many questions at once.

"it's me. don't worry. i know i look like SKIN AND BONES right now but it is me-" he replied, trying to keep Mabel calm, although it seemed to be more for himself than anything.

"Y-y-you're a skeleton?"

"That's right," Chara responded, immediately taking over the rest of Dipper's body. However, it didn't matter, as Dipper's mind seemed broken as he tried to comprehend what was even going on. "Go on, Sans. Tell them what you really are! Tell them you are a monster!"

"M-m-monster?" Mabel mimicked breathlessly, new tears on the brink of spilling over.

Sans seemed a bit at a loss of what to say. He seemed anxious, afraid, and angry at the same time, neither emotion coming out fully so they existed all at once. Letting go of Mabel, an expression of annoyance towards Chara crossed his face as he turned to Wendy and Soos and snapped his fingers. No one knew what happened, until he lifted his hand up and then pretended to push something to the ground. When this happened, Soos and Wendy were gently pushed to the ground, both confused as to what had happened. Then, Sans put his other hand above his head, as another dragon skull appeared in front of Wendy and Soos. Before they could react, Sans made a swiping motion as he brought his arm down, making it look like he was leading an army.

With a charging up noise, a bright blue light came from the mouth and before anyone could process it, the dragon skull opened its mouth and a beam of light blue light blasted off the rocks and debris on Wendy's leg. Sans put his arms down and the skull disappeared much like the first. Wendy sat up, finding her leg to be revealed and unharmed. Immediately, Soos helped her to her feet, acting as a crutch for her.

"soos, take wendy and mabel and get them out of here!" He yelled to them, trying to make a wall between Chara and the rest.

"But Sans!" Mabel cried out, causing Sans to turn to her. Whatever she was going to say, she immediately forgot it when she saw his face. Guilt covered it. Instead, she chose a different way to say goodbye. "Stay safe," she murmured.

Then, she quickly ran out and dragged Soos and Wendy out of the Underground, despite the questioning looks Wendy and Soos had towards the skeletal Sans.

Sans glared at Chara. "you know, you mess with one pines, ya mess with all of 'em, and i calculated you have messed with more than one," he said with a cold stare.

Chara clicked her tongue. "And yet you still won't talk." A smile creeped up on Dipper's face. "No matter. You will die anyways! Enjoy the show, Dipper!"

It caught Sans off guard. The way Chara spoke of Dipper made it sound like he was there. Like he was watching. Like he was listening. It finally registered what he thought was odd. Dipper was there and it wasn't just his subconscious, like Sans initially thought. It was the full Dipper. Maybe... if he just tried to reach out and SAVE him...

Chara grinned like a maniac as she made a wave of DT right in front of her. The wave stayed put as she threw her knife at him. It was an easy dodge for Sans, as he sidestepped out of the way. However, as he turned to see the knife embedded in the floor, he realized as the knife glowed red that this was her trick. He snapped his fingers before the wave could hit him, saving him another turn. He had managed to teleport and create a dragon skull to land on at the same time. Unfortunately, as he prepared to unleash his attack, Chara lifted her arm up and the knife embedded in the ground dislodged from the floor and slashed at the dragon skull, effectively slicing it in half.

Another teleport later and Sans was on the ground, panting and sweating. She was more powerful with her new tricks. Could he even survive them? Luckily, he survived her turn and it was his turn now. He gazed at Dipper's body that was possessed by Chara.

"you are certainly a CHARA-cter. you take over my nephew just to inflict revenge on me. sounds inefficient," he reasoned with a shrug. "either you have something more to this plan or your priorities are wrong."

It hurt him mentally to attack Dipper, but he had weaken her, otherwise she would slice him with a single blow. Well, she could do that while weakened, but at least he had a fighting chance when she was. He grit his teeth and closed his eyes, knowing what he was going to do, but not willing to watch it.

With a snap of his fingers, the heart on Chara's necklace turned an ocean blue and with a swift motion of his arm towards the opposite wall, Dipper's body slid towards it, as if gravity itself was being shifted. She laughed as she dug her knife into the floor, stopping her "descent".

"Guess you can't teach old monsters new tricks!" Dipper's voice rang out, mockingly.

"no," Sans replied with a shrug. "well, except for this one."

With a wink, he put out his other arm, parallel to his right arm. Then, he brought it down. Chara looked up in fear as bones jutted out from the ceiling and fell onto her. She closed her eyes and prepared for an impact that didn't come. She cautioned a look to find herself surrounded by bones. Light blue bones. Bones that went through her body like ghostly objects, and yet it pinned her to the ground.

"Blue stop signs," she said with an edge of sarcasm as she watched Sans approach her.

"ya got that right," Sans answered, winking again. "you can't move until the end of my turn. ya wanted me ta talk to dipper, and i think it would be easier if i wasn't doin' it at knife's point."

Chara grumbled as she tried to wait out his turn. He would fall asleep at some point and his magic would fail. Unfortunately, Sans knew this too. He had seen it happen before. He lowered his right hand, which had turned the heart blue, since it didn't matter if gravity pinned her. The bones were doing that job.

Sans stopped and sat down a couple of feet from the light blue bones, his left hand still outstretched and holding the bones in place. He wasn't sure if Dipper was there and at this moment, it didn't matter. He needed to get this stuff off his chest either way, and the guilt was overwhelming him, making it hard to concentrate on what mattered most.

This time, sweat beaded on his forehead not because of the exertion, but because of his nervousness. He kept his gaze at his knees. Bony knees, he mused. With a deep breath he lifted his gaze at Chara and the body she had taken over. The boy he had admired. The boy that reminded Sans of himself... The boy that was too much like himself.

"i don't know if you can hear me, dipper, but i am finally going to tell you the truth," Sans said, figuring he would have to start somewhere. "i am not gonna lie and say i ain't a part of a race called monsters. the problem is that monsters are now a term for creatures that are terrible."

"the truth is, monsters like me are kind and have aspirations like many people. but, if the civil war taught us one thing, it's that humans always judge by appearance," Sans paused as he remembered what had happened to his brother. Papyrus was never the same after what happened. Just a shell. Just Papyrus.

No. This wouldn't mend their relationship. Dipper didn't just want knowledge. He needed to trust him, and Sans failed him. Facts did not fix a relationship. Emotional words did, and luckily for Sans, he had tons of guilt to spare.

"dipper, i'm sorry." The words echoed throughout Judgement Hall. This time, Sans wasn't the judge. He was the judged. "i was gonna tell ya. i really was, but i didn't want you guys to look at me any differently. i'm still sans. i'm still family. i decided to wait until you would trust me enough to understand that..."

"but, now i can see i was just sparin' myself." Sans murmured, looking down at his feet glumly.

"You're wasting your time, Comedian," Chara hissed with a sneer.

"and you're delusional to think dipper isn't strong enough to defeat you!" Sans yelled, anger filling every fiber, every bone in his being. "And if there is one person I trust with all my SOUL, it's Dipper!"

Chara laughed maniacally from beneath her bony prison. "You are hopeless, Comedian." Sans grunted in a bit of pain as his magic ended. Chara grinned. "Time's up."

She ran at Sans with reckless abandon. His eyes widened as she threw a knife towards him. He teleported quickly and before the knife could hurt him by coming back, a bone from the ground threw the knife into the air for Sans to catch. In a quick turn, he threw the knife back at the demon. She sidestepped it with a giggle, but Sans' grin widened. With his arm stretched in front of him, he closed his hand into a fist. The knife turned a dark sea blue as it came back towards Dipper's body. It nicked Dipper's left cheek, blood dripping from the cut.

"Very good, Comedian," she praised sarcastically as she wiped the blood away. "Now the real battle can begin!"

 **(For awesome music, play any version of "Megalo Strike Back"!)**

Once again, she summoned a knife in her hand, before putting her hands together and making two knives out of one. She crossed her arms into an X in front of her face, before making DT waves with the knives by bringing them back to her side in a swift motion. The waves stayed in place, making a red X. Then, she smiled.

 **"** **Absolute Power Corrupts _Absolutely_** ** _._ "** It was like an incantation, with an emphasis on the absolutely. Once the phrase was over, the DT X in front of her turned black and a shock wave went out from the X. Sans crossed his arms, only to find himself unharmed. However, once he opened his eyes, he noticed the black X was gone, only to be found on almost every column in the room.

Then, with a flick of her hand, the pillars started to fall. Sans looked up in horror as the pillars beside him fell to her power. He teleported to a different section, closer to Chara, only to find those columns were now falling too. It seemed Chara was controlling everything in the room with a black cross on it. Quick-witted, Sans summoned a Gaster Blaster to blast the column on his right to pieces, while he turned to the pillar on the left and summoned big, long bones to hold the pillar above him.

Finally, it was his turn. He could not kill Chara, or else he would kill Dipper. That didn't mean he couldn't hurt the body until the brink of collapse, though. Maybe, Dipper would be able to gain control from there. It was risky, but it could work. Unfortunately, that meant hurting Dipper to the brink of death. However, in the end, there wasn't really a choice.

Sans summoned a couple of bones, and upon pointing towards Dipper's body, they rushed to harm Chara. With a slash of her knife, a DT wave stopped the bones from reaching their impact. However, that was the opening Sans was looking for. Teleporting right behind Chara, he waited until she turned, startled, to punch her in the face. The punch couldn't have done more than one damage, but luckily, his blue magic made it so that Dipper's body was shoved and bounced painfully across the floor. When she pulled herself up with her arms, Dipper's nose and forehead were bleeding, but Chara didn't seem to care. She was too power hungry to care.

The ground started to crack beneath her, but she knew what to do. With a giant leap, she avoided the bones that emerged with finesse. As she fell, four Gaster Blasters surrounded her on all sides. Thinking fast, she outstretched her arms and twisted in the air like a helicopter. Two waves of DT disarmed two of the blasters. The other two were hit by the knives, which she flung after making the waves. Then, with her control over the knives, she aimed them towards their creator. They fired, but right on queue, Sans teleported and made the blasters disappear.

After a landing and summoning of two knives later, Chara sat in front of Sans with a cocky smile, though the body she was in looked bruised and battered. Chara's turn. Taking a more traditional approach, she rushed towards the skeleton and once within range, she slashed at him with reckless abandon. Sans felt his energy draining as he either teleported or physically got out of the way, both equally taxing on his powerful, yet weak body.

Taking no more of the nonsense, he summoned a blaster and used it as a shield for a moment. Once Chara finally noticed that she was hitting a Gaster Blaster all this time, her grin faded as the Blaster charged up and shot at her. The blast caused Dipper's body to be tossed across the hall. This time, Chara seemed to shakingly get up, only to find her arms failing her. Sans' turn.

The blue magic was quick. With a snap of his fingers, he was able to control Dipper/Chara's gravity. Then, he threw her in any direction he could think of. There was nothing that could stop him. It was only natural to stop violence with violence. It was only right for him to stop the evil with the very method they were attacking him with. It was only right. He was the judge. It was his right to judge, and then execute. It was...

With a quick motion, Dipper's body fell to the floor with a crack. Then, Sans stopped, horrified. He just broke Dipper's left arm! It was a small thing, after all the throwing around he did, but it broke him out of his unforgiving state. What was he doing? After saying that he trusted Dipper, he decided to take matters into his own hands and force the demon out via force, without any knowledge as to the pain he was causing Dipper? What was he? First, he was Sans the Mysterious. Then, Sans the Understanding. Why had he become Sans the Vengeful Judge? What was he? No. How did he want to be seen? He was all of those states at once, and yet he could only choose one to show Dipper. Which one?

 _"Anybody can be good, if they just tried,"_ a whisper sounded in his mind. It was like it came from a memory, and yet he could not recall which one. Still, it was advice he knew and loved. The advice wasn't for Dipper, though. It was for him. That advice was the creed to his brother's philosophy. It was why he tried to make friends with everybody. It was why he liked Frisk. It was why he tried to redeem a megalomaniac just by SPARING them.

SPARING... Papyrus was always the better of the two brothers, at least according to Sans. However, that didn't mean he couldn't try to live up to his brother's legacy. Legacy of laughter. Legacy of family. Legacy of love. It was with these thoughts that he stopped his attack.

Dipper's body remained limp for some time, making Sans worry that he was too late. However, she got up soon with a grin on her face. "That's it? I thought you had more, Comedian!"

Sans refused to respond. He merely looked deep into Dipper's eyes. He was a judge. Maybe he could see Dipper. Maybe Dipper would understand Sans was never the judge. He was.

Chara, though beat up, summoned a knife in her unbroken right arm and ran to Sans, slashing without even looking. Of course, Sans teleported behind her with his hands in his pockets. She turned to face him.

"Clever, Sans. Trying to catch my guard down by sparing me. Still won't stop me!" Another round of knife slashing came his way, and yet he teleported again behind her.

"You will lose, y'know. Attacking is the only way to end it!" This time, she only tried to hit him once, with almost the same effect.

"You'll die, ya hear! I'll tear you apart!" This time, Chara ran at him, slashed once, and turned around to try and slash him again. No effect, though Sans was getting sleepy.

"Why? Why are you doing this?!" Another slash, and this time, Sans appeared in front of her.

"You'll tire out and die! You always do!" Another slash, before she ran forward and slashed again. Same effect.

"FIGHT BACK, YOU MORON!" Chara shrieked as she ran towards Sans, trying to hit Sans. Each time he teleported, she would continue to run and try to slash again. This went on for a minute or two and Sans grew tired.

Then, he teleported again. This time, however, he landed on a piece of rubble from the pillar he broke. Before he could react, he fell onto the ground.

"Oof!" He laid there for a while, trying to debate whether to look or not. Then, he decided it would be best to give Dipper one last look at him before his death. With a groan, he held himself up with his hands, before he put his hand up and coughed in it. Once he put it in front of his face, it was as red as blood. An omen. A bad omen. He wasn't turning to dust, but he would definitely not survive another fall like that. In fact, any fall could kill him at this point.

With ketchup dripping from his mouth, he twisted himself onto his back. As he predicted, Chara was looking over him in disgust, a knife held over his chest. His SOUL.

"Why? Why didn't you fight back?" She asked, like a mother would a misbehaving child. "WHY?!"

Sans looked at his feet before gazing at Chara with a soft smile. A sad smile. Bittersweet. "Because that's what his grandfather would've done," he replied.

Dipper's face twisted into an enraged expression. Panting quickly, she finally found it in herself to speak as she prepared her knife.

 **"** **THEN DIE!** **"** She shrieked, and Sans closed his eyes as the knife fell.

 _*But somebody came._

When Sans didn't turn to dust, he decided to open his eyes. Immediately, his eyes widened in shock at what he saw. Chara was standing over him, just as shocked as Sans was. She wasn't looking at Sans, though. She was looking at his protector.

Standing over Sans was the red silhouette of a boy. A boy who wore boots, shorts, and a vest over a t-shirt. A boy with medium length brown hair, covered by a hat with a pine tree on it. The boy had an angry expression. A DETERMINED expression. The expression of someone who was protecting someone dear to them. In his hand was a red shield, which was holding back Chara's knife.

"Dipper?" Sans said, knowing what had happened but not believing any of it. What he knew is that he succeeded. Upon hearing Sans, Dipper looked down at Sans, holding his position. His gaze softened, both parties knowing they were in the wrong. Then, he turned back to Chara and pushed his body back, the silhouette vanishing.

Chara stepped back, moaning as she held her right arm to her head. When she opened her eyes, however, Sans was amazed to notice that both eyes were different from each other. The left eyes was still the glowing red irises of Chara, but the other eyes was brown. Sans stood himself up as he watched the chaos unfold.

"What are you doing?!" A panicked Chara shrieked as, for the first time, fear crossed her face, soon to be replaced with DETERMINED anger.

"I'm ending the show, Chara," Dipper's voice replied, cold and controlled as he spoke. "The deal's off!"

Then, it seemed both minds were fighting over Dipper's body, as personalities and emotions changed. This was Sans' chance. This was Dipper causing a distraction, so he could do something. But what?

It struck Sans as he saw the necklace around Dipper's neck. It wasn't just a necklace. It was how Chara forced Dipper's SOUL into submission. That's how a soulless demon could use soul powers. Now, it was time to end it. How, Sans didn't know, but what he did know is that sometimes simple problems had simple solutions, and he had a simple idea in mind.

Sans' approach went unnoticed as Chara and Dipper fought over mind and body. Then, in a quick motion, Sans grabbed the SOUL with his right hand. Chara looked on in horror as he forcefully pulled the SOUL off of the necklace.

A shriek rang out. It wasn't Dipper's voice, however. It was Chara's. Dipper's body collapsed to the ground in a heap. Immediately, Sans kneeled down gently to give back the SOUL in his hands. Just as he released his grasp, the SOUL disappeared. Watching carefully, he sighed once he saw Dipper's body move up and down with each breath. Dipper was alive and in control, but unconscious and badly hurt.

 _"What have you done?! What have you done?!"_ Sans turned around to see a ghostly Chara screaming at the heavens in frustration. He smirked.

"well, if it isn't chara?" Immediately, Chara turned towards Sans in fear.

 _"How can you see me?! You can't!"_

"that's cute, but y'know, skeletons are just as alive as they are dead." Sans replied, with a confident grin on his skeletal face. "that means i can see the dead."

Chara seemed to pale, even in her ghostly form, as Sans summoned a giant Gaster Blaster. He grunted as a stab of pain hit his SOUL. He panted as he gazed at Chara with playful vengeful eyes. "unfortunately for you, that means i am the only species to be able to kill a ghost."

The giant Gaster Blaster charged up, causing a dull pain course throughout Sans' body. Chara was frozen with fear as she looked up to the heavens again, as if speaking to somebody.

 _"You promised me victory! YOU PROMISED!"_

"Get dunked on." The Blaster fired at Chara, causing a blinding flash of light. Once Sans opened his eyes, there was a new hole in the ceiling of Judgement Hall and Chara was gone, hopefully for good.

Sans gasped suddenly as he felt the pain peak again in his SOUL. Once the pain subsided to a dull pain, he turned to the limp unconscious body of Dipper. Picking him up with as much energy as he could muscle, he put Dipper unbroken arm around his neck. Then, he put out his left hand, ready to snap it at any moment. He was shaking, sweat falling down his forehead. He had to get Dipper home and get some medical attention. He had to. Do this for Dipper. Do this for him.

Closing his eyes in hope of maybe stopping the pain, he snapped his fingers and teleported Dipper and himself out of there.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Soos, Mabel, and Wendy were in the Mystery Shack, waiting in vigilant silence. Wendy had her leg propped up on the sofa since it was still broken. Unfortunately, Sans was the only person who knew exactly where the hospital was, since the hospital was in a city outside of town and Wendy had never ventured that far before.

Soos was sitting on the floor next to Mabel, both of them trying not to disturb their thoughts. In truth, they all wished for Sans to come home and answer their questions. It still blew their mind that Sans - their Sans - was a skeleton. Questions buzzed in their minds, but no one wanted to speak them until Dipper and Sans returned.

Of course, they never expected Sans to carry Dipper through the door, both looking beat up.

"Dipper!" Mabel cried as she rushed to the unconscious Dipper. Arm broken, nose and forehead bleeding, bruises and scratches galore, including a scratch across the left cheek.

Soos was quick to take Dipper off of Sans as Mabel rushed to accompany him. Wendy was the first to ask.

"What the heck happened, Sans?!" Wendy yelled over the ruckus. Sans tried moving forward to get into the middle of the living room. Unfortunately, he nearly collapsed to the floor. It was lucky he didn't take anymore damage.

"t-t-toriel..." Sans groaned, everyone listening to him through his ragged breaths.

"What?" Wendy asked, trying to comprehend what to do.

"c-call... t-tori... a-and... undyne... tell... them... i'm..." Suddenly, Sans gasped as another sharp pain went through his body. This time, it made him pass out, leaving his life in the hands of three humans.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"GRUNKLE SANS!" Dipper shouted when he woke up in his room. Panting from the nightmares he had, he found himself in his and Mabel's room. It was bright outside with birdsong going through the air. He sat up as he tried to remember what happened. He gasped as a dull pain went through his arm. His eyes widened as he remembered. Chara. Sans. Monster. Fight. Broken arm.

However, as he moved his broken arm, it didn't feel broken. It just felt sore and tender from an injury that wasn't there. Continuing to test his injuries, he put his right hand to his left cheek, trying to find a scab of some kind. He didn't feel any.

Confused, he pushed aside the covers to find he was in his pajamas. Granted, his pajamas were basically his everyday outfit without his hat, vest, and boots, but it was still his pajamas. Rubbing his eyes, he stood up and went to the mirror in his room. When he found not a cut or bruise on his body, he thought about what he had seen.

Maybe it was just a dream. A nightmare. Chara would show up anytime to give him advice and he would make amends with his Grunkle Sans for the argument. It was that simple. No awkward stares, no weird sounding stories. Then, he saw the scar.

It was hardly noticeable at first. The change in skin tone was so subtle. He frowned as he put his hand over it. His left cheek. That's where it was, and it seemed to match the very cut he had watched Chara receive on his body. There was no other way he could've received that scar. You would think he would remember an injury to his face. However, that conclusion merely made more questions come to Dipper's mind. Sans is a monster? What does that mean? How long has he been out cold? A month? Why did Chara do this?

Then, he remembered. Maybe Sans was downstairs. Maybe he would answer the mind boggling questions in his mind, no matter the number. With that in mind, he went to the door and came out of his room.

As he looked down from the balcony, he heard laughter coming from the kitchen. One laugh sounded like Mabel's, but the other didn't sound like Sans. It was a woman's laugh. Dipper climbed down the stairs and looked into the kitchen in curiosity.

Inside the kitchen was Mabel, rolling out pie dough to make a crust. On the other side was a woman that looked familiar. She was mixing the contents she had in a bowl and praising Mabel for her work. They both were smiling and eventually, Dipper was able to interrupt their work.

"Toriel?" He said, his voice a little bit hushed from how sickly he felt. Toriel and Mabel turned around.

"Dipper!" Mabel shouted as she ran from where she was and hugged her brother, flour getting all over her pajamas. Toriel smiled softly, remembering a time when she had seen that before.

Once Mabel let go, they smiled at each other before Toriel spoke. "Good morning, Dipper. It is good to see that you're up."

Dipper's smile turned into a concerned frown. "How long was I out?"

"You were out for two days," Mabel replied sadly.

"Y-you mean... everything that happened..." Dipper trailed off as Mabel and Toriel shared concerned glances at each other. Finally, Toriel sighed and, upon putting down her bowl on the counter, went up to Dipper.

"Dipper, Mabel, let's take a seat on the couch," she suggested, taking both of them by the hand gently and pulling them towards the worn out couch. Then, she sat herself down in the middle, allowing the twins to sit on either side of her, both of them awaiting to hear her speak.

Toriel turned to look at Dipper with sad eyes as she spoke. "Dipper, I wanted to explain to you everything that went on two days ago, if you will let me."

He merely nodded at the tall woman beside him. He looked up before asking the question that bothered him the most: "Is Grunkle Sans okay?"

Toriel seemed taken aback by the question, but she quickly regained her composure as she answered solemnly. "I'm afraid there are many layers to that question, Dipper, but I am unable to explain it until you know the basics."

"Like what?! Like the fact he was a monster all this time and he never told us?!" Dipper lashed out, turning away from his sister, who merely lowered her head and absorbed the information, and the old headmistress.

"Dipper, look at me," Toriel replied in a motherly way, immediately causing him to turn out of respect.

Immediately after he turned, she closed her eyes and her body seemed to shine and shimmer, turning into a form of light, before finally revealing herself again. This time, however, she was different. Instead of being human, she was covered in a layer of white fur. Her hands had tiny claws instead of nails and her head looked like that of a goat, the ones with floppy ears and no horns. However, he could see it was still the old, kind schoolteacher as she spoke to the twins.

"Things are more complicated than that," Toriel started before sighing. "You don't know our history, but what you need to know is that humans treated us terribly and forgot about us, all because we were different from them. There was a committee made, and that committee decided that no humans were to know until Frisk, your cousin and my child, came of age. Until then, we would hide our form using all the magic we have. It was a terrible thing to do, especially when monsters adopted human children."

Dipper raised his head as he realized the meaning. He didn't process it before, but it would be hard to explain that not only was a child adopted, but their parents were a monster that could use a magic of some sort. It did seem kind of awkward.

"But, the silly thing is that your Grunkle was going to tell you anyway," Toriel continued with a knowing smile. "He was willing to break monster law to do it. The pinnacle of its humor is the fact that he was willing to break the rule, even though he was a part of the committee that made the law! By the logic, so am I. And Undyne, and Alphys. It's funny how monsters are."

"So, were you guys stopping him?" Mabel pitched in, asking the question for both of them.

"Why, no, my child. That is the whole joke. All of us supported Sans in his decision, but we didn't trust each other to tell each other we knew. It just seemed to be the secret everyone knew but nobody cared to share. It seemed as though what happened was a strange way of bringing us together."

"So, you all are monsters," Dipper concluded, his mind secretly blown. "You, Sans, Alphys, Undyne."

"There are quite a few here in Gravity Falls, my child," Toriel replied.

"But you all are so different! What is classified as a monster?" Dipper asked.

"That is a complicated subject, my child, but I will give it to you briefly. Monsters can be in any shape or form, much like humans, but what makes us different is our SOULS." Immediately, she brought out an image from the ground beside her. It was an image of a white heart, upside down, next to a different heart that was right-side up and purple.

"The difference between a human SOUL and monster SOUL are easy to find. You see, my child, humans have SOULS full of a substance called DETERMINATION. This substance is potent. So potent, in fact, that when a human dies, their SOUL can live on outside of the body without being destroyed.

"However, monster SOULS are not suited for DETERMINATION. Even an injection of DETERMINATION could make us live in a limbo between life and death. That brings me to our second difference. Human SOULS are less untuned with their body than monster SOULS are.

"What I mean is that monster SOULS are so connected with their body that if their body dies, their SOUL goes with it. However, this makes it so that we are allowed to use magic," Toriel explained, before making a fireball form in her hand. She promptly extinguished it before continuing on.

"Human SOULS are not as connected to their bodies. This allows your SOULS to live outside the body. However, this also means that humans could not be true to themselves and kill thousands of people without harming themselves. Monsters can't do that. By harming others, we change ourselves for the worse, but humans could kill without ever feeling a thing." She paused as her thoughts overwhelmed her with memories from her past. Then, she shook her head.

"Sorry. I ramble. As I was saying, this lesser connection between the body and SOUL also means humans can't use magic. Anyways, those are the differences between humans and monsters, although the differences are quite numerous, I must say."

The room went quiet as the twins tried to process the information provided. So their Grunkle was a monster, able to use magic, but if he died, he was gone, body and SOUL? What if he had died? What if Dipper had accidentally killed his Grunkle? Had he saved his Grunkle when it was already too late?

"But is Grunkle Sans okay?" Dipper asked again, hoping to understand what was wrong with his Grunkle that she wouldn't tell him outright.

Toriel sighed with worry. "We don't know yet. You see, the problem with your Grunkle is complicated. I'll try to explain it. Imagine humans and monsters have hit points, much like your game, Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons. Everyone has different amounts, however. Now, your Grunkle Sans is powerful in attack and defense. However, if this were a game, his HP would be one."

Dipper looked up at Toriel with fear. One hit point? With one trip, he could die, and he did trip in the battle. He was there. He watched the whole thing. How could he survive with one hit point? Then, it hit him. His defense. That was why he was good at dodging. When your health was low, all you could count on was your dexterity and grace under pressure. It all clicked. Not only did it click why he could dodge so good and why it seemed like his life was on the line with every attack he dodged, but also why he was bleeding from the mouth when he tripped. It scared Dipper.

"He also tires easily, that lazy skeleton. That usually makes his magic less potent, making it harder to dodge and teleport. Anyways, the problem is that he tripped and fell in the battle. That didn't kill him, much to our relief, since it only dealt 0.5 points of damage. However, he used magic afterwards, and since using magic when damaged really badly hurts the SOUL, it also hurts the body. He is lucky to even be alive right now, but it could go south any moment. That is why I sent him to Doctor Alphys' to heal. She has all the equipment he needs."

"It's all my fault," Dipper murmured to himself.

Everything went silent before Mabel spoke.

"No it wasn't, Dipper!"

"Yes, it is, Mabel! If I hadn't wanted to know his secret so bad, I wouldn't have made that deal with Chara!" Dipper countered.

"But how were you to know that Chara was going to betray you and your family?" Toriel replied, trying to reason with the distraught Dipper. "How were you to know that Sans was going to tell you?"

Dipper stayed silent, before Toriel put a furry hand on Dipper's shoulder.

"Dipper, you may not believe it, but I know Chara."

"Y-you do?" Dipper asked, unsure how the schoolteacher could know the demon that plagued his mind for weeks.

"Oh yes. She probably told you everything but the truth about her story. You see, monsters were banished in the Underground for a long time, but things were never the same after what happened," Toriel answered, lowering her head as she recounted her story.

"Dipper, Mabel, I used to have a husband and a young boy. He was kind and bright. He always made my day. He was my sunshine, and I loved him with all my SOUL. Then, one day, he found a human girl who had fallen into the Underground. She was the first human to fall into the Underground, and we took her into our family. Her name was Chara.

"She seemed sweet and smart, but we didn't see her for what she really was. She wasn't an evil child, but she certainly was troubled. I came home one day to find her sick. I soon found out she had eaten buttercups."

It struck Dipper when he remembered where he heard buttercups from Chara. Chara had told him she died from buttercups. At the time, he thought she had been killed by a monster who had poisoned her, but it never crossed his mind that she might've planned to commit suicide with the yellow flower.

"Later, she died. My son was so distraught. He wept by her bedside. You know how I told you human SOULS had the ability to live on without the body? Well, monsters are able to... absorb human SOULS, as it were. This makes them powerful beyond belief. Well, my son was so sad, unwilling to let his best friend die, that he took Chara's SOUL and absorbed it.

"He took Chara's body and went through the Barrier, since someone could only pass the barrier with a human and monster SOUL, and you could only break the Barrier with seven humans SOULS, or something worth that much power. My son went outside and laid Chara on the golden flowers she wished to see before her death. However, when he returned to my husband and I, he was beaten and battered and before I could reach and embrace him, he died.

"Chara, the manipulative human child, took her own life and my son's life all in one night. I knew from then on that Chara was a mentally troubled young girl. She is evil to some, pitiful to others."

"How do you see Chara?" Dipper asked, attitude dripping from the words.

"I see her as I've always seen her," Toriel responded with a distant expression. "A broken child."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was a relief to Dipper and Mabel when Dr. Alphys called a day later to announce Sans was now in a stable condition and was able to come home in a day or so, once he regained consciousness. Mabel, who was worried sick over her Grunkle, took it upon herself to prepare the house for one thing: a welcome home party. In her mind, it was the only way to drive away the horrors of the past, but for Dipper, the horrors were just beginning.

He was still trying to process everything. His emotions were everywhere. There were names and faces of monsters he may or may not have seen, and above all, the mysterious figure he called his first cousin once removed. Frisk, who he had never seen in his life. To add to it, he needed to figure out how to talk to Grunkle Sans. What would he say? "Sorry for being possessed by a demon. Can we be family again"? It just seemed awkward, and Dipper couldn't help but feel ashamed of everything. If he had just trusted Sans, maybe he would've gotten the answers he wanted in a less murdery way. It hurt, and in a way, he wanted to stay hurt, as punishment for what he had done.

Toriel had left the house in the morning of the day Sans was to come back. Sans had insisted, once he was back into consciousness, that he could walk back home on his own. He said he felt A Okay, but it was clear from his voice that he didn't feel that way mentally or emotionally, no matter how much he tried to hide it. Mabel was bubbly as usual as she waited by the door ready to surprise Sans with the party. Meanwhile, Dipper sat at the kitchen table, trying to relax and finally think about something different than "my Grunkle's a monster and and I was possessed by a demon that wanted to kill him," but to no avail.

When the door opened, it was both a relief and a horror for Dipper. The soft padding of the slippers finally made the house feel like home again as the man with shock white hair and gray eyes came in the house.

"GRUNKLE SANS!" Mabel cried out as she tackled Sans with a hug. Sans' smile widened as he braced for impact. This time, he didn't fall over. It felt like they were reliving a moment from their lives. A deja vous, as it were. Then, Dipper remembered what it reminded him of. It reminded him of the first day they entered the Mystery Shack. The first day they came to Gravity Falls. The first day they met their Grunkle.

And in a way, these events were exactly the same. The Mystery Shack no longer felt too mysterious. It felt more homely, and yet different, as if they had entered a new Shack. Gravity Falls felt just as different as it did the first time they entered the town. Sure, things were weird, but it just felt like it was a new mystery for them to explore. Even Grunkle Sans felt different. It was as if by learning his secret, they grew more fond and loving towards their Grunkle. That was why their meetings were the same. In a way, both were the beginning of a new day. Monsters were real, and they were everywhere, hiding in the open. All Dipper and Mabel needed to know was that most were friendly, and if they weren't, Grunkle Sans would be ready to fight for their behalf.

Sans smiled at Mabel and hugged her back. It was clear from his expression that he missed them from his time in a coma. It was clear, though he never said it, that he loved them. Even his strange terms of endearment felt normal to them in this time of welcome.

"i'm here, mabel. i'm back, baby bones," he murmured to Mabel as she finally eased up her grip.

"I made you a cake, Grunkle Sans! Here! I'll go get it!" Mabel said as she ran to the kitchen to check on the cake in the oven. Now, it was just Dipper and Sans, and it was just as awkward.

"hey, kiddo," Sans started, looking just as nervous as Dipper was.

"Hey... Sans..." Dipper replied, scratching the back of his arm. "I'm sorry. I should've told you about Chara, and I should've trusted you."

Sans shook his head. "nah, kid. it was my fault. like i said, i've always had cold feet. must be because i technically don't have skin," Sans said with a chuckle that Dipper joined in. "what i'm sayin' is i should've known you were too much like me to let my secrets go by unnoticed. TIBIA honest, i would've done the same thing when i was younger."

"Really?" Dipper asked, trying to understand if his Grunkle was sincere.

"promise," Sans replied with a wink. The two smiled at each other before Dipper looked down at his feet sheepishly, making Sans raise an eyebrow. "what's the matter, kiddo? i forgive ya."

"Yeah, but I still feel awful," Dipper admitted.

"yeah. chara has that effect on people. i should've seen it in your behavior. i'm a numbskull for not thinking about it and talkin' to you about it sooner." Sans looked down at his feet, an action Dipper was familiar with.

Dipper was silent for a while before speaking. "Was grandpa a-"

"skeleton? wouldn't be my bro if he wasn't," Sans remarked with a wink.

"Yeah, but would he really stop fighting someone, even if they were murderers?" Dipper asked.

Sans sighed with a smile, remembering the good ol' days. "he believed in everyone. he saw the good and bad in people, and encouraged people to try and be good. if anyone could change a murderer's mind, it would be him."

Dipper nodded. "Maybe that's why Chara became angry when you mentioned him. Because he could convert an unwilling murderer."

Sans looked startled for a moment, before chuckling. "you really don't miss anything, do you? yeah. for chara, paps might've been a sore spot for her."

Dipper cocked his head to the side in confusion. "Paps?"

"yeah. that's the nickname i gave your grandfather." Sans said with a shrug. "he never really liked it, but it stuck."

"What's his name?" Dipper asked, realizing he didn't actually know.

"papyrus. his name was papyrus, and he meant the world to me," Sans replied, before the room went silent again.

"You know, you don't have to hide anything from me, Sans," Dipper said out of the blue. "I trust you. I may not have trusted you before Chara, but you gave me control over my body again, and in good working condition."

"there ain't much left to say, kid. i never let you in my room because the magical disguise wears off after an hour or so of sleeping. undyne, alphys, toriel, and a couple of others knew me because we were all trapped together. that's why everyone said you were my nephew," Sans explained with a lazy shrug. "i dunno what else ya wanna know."

"I want you to know that you can trust me," Dipper replied with a friendly smile. "For starters, you can now show your monster form anytime you want."

Sans stared at him for a while before his smile grew wider. "heh. thanks, kid. it's hard to keep this form up whenever you wanna take a five hour nap before your nine hour nap."

"So you were catnapping all this time?" Dipper responded playfully.

Sans' only response was a knowing wink and a shrug. Dipper laughed, and for the first time in a while, it felt real. It was like the laugh that was shared at the end of a journey, but the start of a bigger journey no one knew was coming. However, Dipper knew, because he saw a new realm to discover. Now that monsters were real, friendly, and that some were his neighbors and friends, he could document them all, learn about them as he would a person, and then document them for research into the parallels between monsters and humans. It was like the start of a new life. A new world. A new day.

Suddenly, the duo heard a yelp from the kitchen and the sound of pots and pans falling to the ground. Then, before anyone could process it, a white fur ball ran as fast as it could through the house. No wait! It was a white fuzzy dog! In its mout was the plate of a cake, iced perfectly with writing that said, "Welcome Back to the Mystery Shack, Grunkle Sans!" Mabel crawled to the edge between the living room and the kitchen.

"Quick! Catch that dog!" She yelled as her brother and Grunkle realized what to do.

Immediately, Dipper jumped into action by blocking the door out into the shop and the outside world, the dog coming to a stop, before running straight towards the stairs. Mabel pulled out her grappling hook and tried to aim it at the white dog, only to accidentally hit the wall. She gave a look of regret to Sans, but all he did was give a lazy shrug, as if it were no big deal. Then, in a swift motion, Sans brought his arm up and with a single snap, he was back in his monster form and the dog was now floating in midair. Using his pointer finger, he motioned for the dog to float in front of him.

"well, you troublemaker. you've been gone for a long time, but now you come back and steal a cake," Sans said to the dog with a "gotcha!" smirk on his face. The dog whimpered.

"well, why don't ya drop it like a good boy?" Sans suggested. Then, before Dipper or Mabel could tell him it wouldn't work, the dog dropped the cake, which hit the ground with a thud. The twins half expected Sans to punish the dog for the catastrophe it caused, but almost immediately, Sans motioned the dog so that it could fall into his arms. When it fell into his arms, it licked his skull with his permanent grin. With each lick, Sans would close and eye socket with a giant grin on his face.

"hello, ol' friend. you're just lookin' for attention. you must miss papyrus. he would chase ya all across town," Sans responded, before putting the dog on the ground and motioning towards the door Dipper had been blocking. "now, don't ruin our cake again."

The dog complied by running around Dipper and magically teleporting through the door. Dipper, for once, decided not to question it for today. Sans kneeled down next to the splattered cake at his feet. Mabel and Dipper joined him, each wondering how to respond.

"sorry, mabel, about your cake. i had to be stern with that dog, or else he'll think it's just a game," Sans apologized with a guilty expression.

"Awwww, it's okay, Grunkle Sans. You tried. I just wish dogs wouldn't steal my cakes all the time," Mabel responded, exasperated with her hands on her hips.

"Wait. This has happened to you before?" Dipper asked, dumbfounded by this information he never knew about his twin. Sans merely laughed.

"takes after your grandpa!" He replied in between his laughs.

"Look! It says 'Dunkle'!" Mabel remarked as she pointed at the writing on the cake. Indeed, somehow, the G and R was smeared so much it now said "Dunkle Sans" instead of "Grunkle Sans,".

"y'know, i kinda like it. makes me sound cooler than i am," Sans remarked, as Mabel grinned ear to ear.

"Dunkle Sans!" She cheered, already liking the new name. "I like it! Let's call him that! All in favor say 'I!'"

"I!" Dipper, Mabel, and Sans yelled out as they raised their hand, Mabel watching them approvingly.

"Verdict noted!" Mabel shouted happily.

The Pines family laughed together, ready to start the party, even without a cake. To be honest, the Pines twins hardly noticed that Sans was a monster the whole time. He was still Sans to them, no matter what form. He may have looked like a skeleton and had awesome magic powers, as Mabel so eloquently put it, but he was still the epic Dunkle they had come to know and love.

And Sans couldn't be happier.

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"Toriel. Toriel!" Alex yelled as he ran though the corridor of the school. He had seen the old headmistress walking down the hall and he had to talk to her. Toriel turned around, her eyes full of weariness, stress, and exhaustion.

"Yes, my child?" She said, her voice less peppy and motherly than usual.

Alex stopped and panted a little before he spoke. "I need to know. Are the rumors true?"

"What rumors?" Toriel asked softly, concerned as to what could cause one of her students such anxiety.

"That... Dipper and Mabel... they know now... they know about... monsters and magic..." Alex explained, pausing either because of his pants or because of the emotions he felt about the rumor.

Toriel merely stayed silent, causing Alex even more stress. She stared into him. Stared into his soul. She had been gone for four days and it looked like she didn't sleep for that same period of time. Something had happened, and this rumor provided the best answer, no matter how much he wished it wasn't true.

"Is it true... Chara..." Alex finally blurted out, causing Toriel to shift her gaze down on the ground. She sighed.

"I'm afraid it is, my child. Unfortunately, the damage is already done. Chara is dead and Dipper and Sans were hospitalized from the attack. To be honest, it could've been worse," Toriel reassured, although it seemed to be more for herself than Alex, as if she were trying the convince herself the same thing.

Alex put his hand to his head. "Could've been worse?! I could've stopped it! I could've..." Tears flooded his eyes and all Toriel could do was watch with pity. Then, he started to laugh. "Hahahaha... I'm such an idiot. I could've..."

"My child, there is nothing you could've done. You would've had to kill Dipper just to have a chance of killing Chara. Sans did it the best way he could. Besides, you can't kill the dead, but skeletons and ghosts can," Toriel explained, trying to keep herself composed.

Alex wiped his tears. "How were they harmed?"

Toriel swallowed, as if trying to keep her tears and emotions down her throat. "Dipper was harmed by Sans on accident, trying to protect and disarm Chara. Wendy's leg was broken, but that was easy to fix. Sans..." Toriel's voice shook as the start of sobs overwhelmed her. "S-Sans... I don't know much about what happened! I-I came, a-and he was on the floor, unconscious and... and..."

She let out a cry as she put her head in her hands. Alex looked up sadly as he watched the schoolteacher break. "He could've died, Alex! If I hadn't come, he would be... he would be..."

"It's okay, Toriel. You helped them both. They're okay." Alex stood himself up as Toriel wiped the tears out of her eyes. "I'm going to go see them."

"Wait, Alex!" The headmistress called as Alex turned to look at her. "Just... don't tell them about human magic. They are new to this world and finding out Sans is a monster is hard enough on them. They need an anchor, so to speak, and I want you to be that anchor for now."

"You will tell them at some point, right?" Alex asked, nervous about lying to either of the twins about the truth of Human SOULS and their abilities. Toriel nodded solemnly.

"I promise."

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23-8-15 9-19 1 4-5-13-15-14 12-9-11-5 21-19 2-21-20 12-15-22-5-19 13-15-14-19-20-5-18-19?

 **1 3-8-1-18-1-3-20-5-18**

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 **A/N: I promised you a new ending, not victory.**


	9. The Dippead

**A/N: Welcome to Arc 2, everybody! Does it feel any different? I don't know, because I have always sort of been thinking about Arc 2 from the very beginning. Plot twists and angst galore! Then Arc 3 will just be a mess of possibilities, but that will be fun too. Anyways, let's jump right in!**

It was a lazy morning, and Dipper was at the kitchen table, reading his fill of information. It wasn't his Journal, however, for he wanted to understand a new aspect of his world this fine morning. It was a book given to him by Dunkle Sans. Apparently, Frisk, Dipper's first cousin once removed, was already anticipating for the reveal she would make once she showed the world monsters existed. Already, she had written a manuscript of a book called, "The Sunlit Era," which she had decided to publish once monsters were a common sight. It was full of information. Monster history, monster biology, monster magic, and monster souls were all included and Dipper was eating it up. Sans was pleased to find Dipper reading through page after page, trying to understand the family he was a part of.

Suddenly, in a whirlwind of glitter, Mabel burst from their room. "Hello, everyone!" She yelled, as if on stage in front of a giant crowd. Today, Mabel looked different from her normal self. Her hair was tied back into a ponytail, glitter dotting her hair. Her eyes had strange eyeliner, dark blues and purples mixing with sparkles. Her sweater was one knitted with sparkly yarn in a bluish hue. Meanwhile, her shorts were covered in sequins and her shoes were a darkish pink. She grinned upon seeing Dipper below, startled out of his studying. "Today is the debut of MK AND THE GALAXIES!"

Mabel stepped forward as her three friends somersaulted behind her, each one of them in crazy outfits. The first one to pop up was MK, who was so small in stature that she somersaulted between Mabel's legs and popped up standing right in front of Mabel.

MK's poncho looked more like a dress, with an orange belt around the waist with a yellow star clasp. Her poncho was covered in glitter and sequins and cut-out stars wherever the stripes were somewhat see-through and showed her plain orange shirt. Her hood was pulled back, revealing her hair. Dipper noticed almost immediately that MK must've had a haircut, because now her hair was short and fluffy, causing her hair to look naturally spiky with the way it was positioned. Her eyes were surrounded by black five-pointed stars, causing her blue eyes to pop out.

Candy, who was on the left of Mabel and MK, had almost the same treatment. Glitter sparkled all over her. Her shirt was a dark royal blue, covered in dark purple paint, making her look more like a blue galaxy. Sequins dotted her shirt and her blue shorts was given the same look. Her eyes were outlined with a blue eyeliner, and a blue star drawn on by marker was on her left cheek. Her hair was also tied up in a ponytail.

Grenda's main color scheme was a dark pink. Her dark pink shirt was covered in dark red paint and glitter, as were her shorts. Her exposed knee caps had pink stars drawn on them and on her right cheek was a similar star. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail and covered in glitter, and her eye was lined with pink eyeliner.

MK grinned nervously. "Guys, like, I don't think this will work. I'm not the best singer, like, ever!"

"Stop being so modest!" Mabel reassured enthusiastically. "I heard you sing that song you made!"

"But that doesn't make me a good singer!" MK countered, blushing as she looked down at her feet.

"What the heck are you guys doing?" Dipper finally asked, smirking at Mabel and her friends.

"We are going to become the most famous karaoke group in the history of karaoke contests!" Mabel replied happily.

"And we're not coming back until we claim our prize," Candy added with a nod.

"Or until we get boyfriends!" Grenda responded, causing Mabel and Candy to squeal. MK merely laughed at the prospect of it.

"Wait. So, there's a karaoke competition today?" He repeated for clarification.

"Yup," MK answered as she came down the stairs to meet Dipper. "They claim I am a good dancer and singer, but I am neither."

"I'm sure you're fine," Dipper reassured, causing MK's cheeks to turn red and her smile to disappear. She stared down at her feet for a while before straightening her posture and smiling again.

"I haven't seen you in a while. What happened since the last time I talked to you?" MK asked.

"Well, you wouldn't believe it, but-" Dipper started before his sister popped up from behind MK.

"Sans is a skeleton!" Mabel cheered as the two girls behind her gasped in amazement. Then, they looked at each other.

"Everything has been answered!" Candy replied, her voice full of wonder with her hands on her cheeks.

"That is a better explanation than my fanfiction!" Grenda agreed with a nod. "I thought he was a vampire cursed with lycanthropy on his birthday who fell in love with a fairy."

Mabel looked at Grenda in amazement. "You must let me read that. It sounds amazing."

"So... you're not freaked out or anything," MK asked rather somberly. It took Dipper a while to realize she was looking pointedly at him, although she seemed to have lowered her head as if in shame.

"I mean, it was kind of weird, but I trust Dunkle Sans," Dipper replied with a shrug. "Afterwards, he didn't seem any different."

"and i won't ever be different, kid." Immediately, everyone spun around to see Sans on the stairs in his monster form temporarily before looking human. However, the sight of a skeletal Sans was long enough to cause Candy and Grenda to stare in astonishment at the man before them. Sans' smile brightened as he scanned over the sight. Mabel immediately ran up and hugged him.

"Hey Sans," Dipper greeted before giving a questioning look at Sans. "Did you just teleport out of your room?"

"i'm lazy, dipper. you should know that by now," Sans answered with a wink and a shrug before Mabel pulled off of him and partially dragged him down the stairs.

"Woah!" Candy gasped as she tried to process the fact Sans had teleported out of his room. "You are the only monster I know! That's so cool!"

"i actually doubt that, kid," Sans replied with a shrug. "monsters are all around this town. you could've met one and never known it."

"Then how can you tell if you do meet one?" Grenda asked, looking directly at Sans for an answer. Sans was ready to answer it before Dipper jumped it.

"Wait. I can answer that, Dunkle Sans," Dipper said, causing Sans to look on in curiosity. Immediately, Dipper pulled out "The Sunlit Era" and flipped through the pages. He had that particular question from the very beginning and after getting the book, immediately used the index to find the answer. Finally, he found the page entitled "Monster Signs".

Dipper read the section aloud. "'Monster SOULS are the most useful way to detect a monster's presence. While monsters can't summon their SOUL out of their bodies, their SOUL still establishes their existence in other ways, like how someone could tell a person's preferences and personality just by looking at their residence. Magic is the easiest way to tell, as humans can't do complicated magic without a monster's help. However, since a magical disguise uses all magic, this is also the hardest to spot.'"

"'The second way to tell is called a SOUL echo. Believe it or not, monster SOULS are always emitting magical energy, whether it is actually used or not. Because of this, the magic acts like an echo that helps one detect the presence of a magical creature, presumably monsters, if one knows what to "listen" for. This echo is able to be detected by one's SOUL, so, to detect such an echo, you need to close your eyes and focus on your senses. To hear a SOUL echo is a surreal experience. If you truly hear one, you should hear the equivalent of a "song", as it were. Some monsters even have a unique echo, a theme "song" or motif as it were. Most monsters, however, have a single echo they use.'"

"So, according to this, you will hear a type of song if you try to detect an echo?" Dipper summarized for clarification. Mabel shrugged before looking to Sans with pleading eyes. Sans did his signature shrug.

"you can try, if you want," Sans replied as he messed with a bit of his shock white hair to get it into a surprisingly better look than before.

Dipper smiled at his Dunkle before closing his eyes. It wasn't surprising that he didn't hear anything at first. What else was he supposed to expect? Then, he remembered what the book said. It said you needed to focus. Focus on what? He was focusing on his senses. So far, nothing! However, he tried not to let that discourage him. He wanted to hear it. He was DETERMINED to hear it.

That's when he heard it. It was soft at first, but it seemed the more he focused on hearing it, the louder it grew. Words could barely describe what it felt like. It was like he was hearing a song, and yet he wasn't. He could cover his ears and he would still hear it loud and clear. It seemed to resonate in his body and yet it came from somewhere else. Part of Dipper wondered if this was what echolocation felt like. He immediately knew a magical presence was in the room, even though he already knew that.

The music itself was also hard to explain. To use adjectives that are usually used to describe people, it sounded lazy and trickster-like. Still, it was catchy and it didn't take any effort to know that this was Sans' song and motif. In fact, it seemed that the name of the song immediately came into his head out of nowhere. sans. was literally the name of the song.

He opened his eyes and when he did, he was surprised to find that the song was still playing, although it was muffled quite a bit. The three girls looked at him, waiting for the verdict on the experiment. Dipper simply nodded, not taking his eyes off of Sans.

"I can still hear it," Dipper said in amazement, immediately causing Mabel, Candy, and Grenda to close their eyes and try it as well. The only odd one out was MK, who simply looked down and rubbed her arm with her other hand. Sans nodded knowingly.

"yeah. frisk says that once you first hear it, you can't not hear it," Sans replied as he watched each one of the girls open their eyes, flabbergasted by what they heard. "apparently, you can tell you are good at hearing it if you hear it loud and clear all the time."

"Welp, that was fun but shouldn't we get going? We don't want to be late!" MK said out of the blue, quickly changing the subject.

"Oh right!" Mabel answered with a nod. "C'mon, Bro-Bro! You should come!"

"Uh. No thanks," Dipper responded hesitantly as he got out the book Sans had given him. "I have to, y'know."

Mabel sighed. "Alright, but you have to hang out with us one day, okay?"

"I know. I will when-" He stopped talking as a bit of parchment fluttered through the air. It seemed to have fallen out as he was about to open the book. Surprised by such a thing, Dipper picked up the rough and dirty parchment and opened it up. It was a crude looking map that seemed to have landmarks that were important to find a specific object, symbolized by the X. Over it was the title of the map: "Gravity Falls", in lazy handwriting.

"What's this?" Dipper asked, looking up at the rest of the group. The girls shrugged. What startled Dipper was the fact Sans was giving him a confused look. It wasn't the same type of confusion as the girls or Dipper felt, but rather the, "well, isn't it obvious?" type of confusion.

"dipper, that's the map you got from one of your adventures," Sans said, matter-of-factly. "remember, the ol' crazy man?"

"Old...crazy... man?" He replied, a little puzzled. You would think he would remember if he met a crazy old man on one of his adventures, right? I mean, that sounded like something you wouldn't be able to forget so easily. He looked to Mabel for an explanation, only to find the same confused look on her face as he did. Then, he looked back at Sans. It seemed Sans was taking this all into account, trying to find the answer to such a riddle. Then, before Dipper could see if he figured out the answer, Sans sighed.

"welp, maybe i just dreamed it up. hasn't been the first time i've... uh... experienced things that actually didn't happen," Sans stuttered, trying, unsuccessfully I might add, to persuade his great-nephew of this fact. "anyways, you can keep the map. i don't mind."

Then, Sans turned to the girl group. "well, let's get going to the car. ya don't want me to get TIREd."

"Yeah! Yo, let's go, team!" MK shouted like a leader, though Dipper barely noticed as he continued to analyze the map. He was so lost in thought that once he looked up, the girls and Dunkle Sans were gone. Finally. Now, he could get to work trying to figure out this map.

Sitting at the kitchen table, he laid out the map flat. As he analyzed the writing around the edges, he found that the writing was illegible. Actually, it wasn't even that. It seemed to be in another language. A language full of symbols. It was like a code. A code he had to crack, he knew a way he could try. Quickly, he pulled out the Journal and flipped through the aged pages. Gnomes, no. Dragons, no. Gobblewonker? When would he need that?

Finally, he found something. Surprisingly, it came from the pages Chara had shown to him. Chara. He shivered. She seemed so genuine at the time. How could he have been such a fool? She clearly wanted to use him, and yet he missed the signs. Still, something about her made it seem...

He shook his head to focus on what the page said. It was written by the third author, his letters always capitalized and somewhat messy. On the top, it said, "WINGDINGS!" Underneath it, however, it seemed to be written by the second author. The author whose handwriting was lazy and unprofessional. In curiosity, he read the passage out loud to himself.

"Wingdings is a coded font that is known by few monsters. Usually, monsters know such a code only if someone in their line was cursed by a PERSEVERANT sorcerer, using Madjix magic. Luckily, such a curse is not genetic, so only those unfortunate enough to encounter an angry sorcerer may have this problem. Until the end of their lives, they are unable to speak any language other than Wingdings. Another case is if a MINHEFYY is born speaking this font. Either way, this leaves the monster unable to communicate or write in any other font."

Next, the handwriting was the third author's handwriting. "IN ORDER TO HELP SOMEONE TRANSLATE WINGDINGS, I HAVE WRITTEN DOWN THE CODE. I AM TRULY GREAT AND HELPFUL!"

True to his word, the third Author wrote had written down a cipher for the coded font. On the left side was the symbols while the right side had the letters, all in capitals. With a smile, Dipper pulled out a piece of scratch paper and looked over the map. One by one, he translated the coded font back into English. Finally, he reached the end and looked over the words he had written, excited by what could be written.

"At the X, I have hidden the first of the Journals. The Good must be hidden from prying eyes, for who knows what people would do with ? &$€£'s weapon," the text read.

Dipper immediately squealed with excitement, though he didn't mean to. Another Journal? Another book full of answers and knowledge? In hindsight, it was quite obvious with the number 3 on the cover, but it still made Dipper smile ear-to-ear. Imagine what he could study with two journals. So many creatures, as well as monsters, to find and befriend. The possibilities were endless, and they were in his grasp. All he had to do was follow the map to the location.

His heart sank when he saw the rest of the map, however. It was a crude drawing, as if a toddler had drawn the image in a short notice. None of the landmarks looked at all familiar. If it weren't for the title, he would've thought the map was for someplace other than Gravity Falls. How was he supposed to find the Journal if he couldn't even figure out where to start?

That's when an idea came into his head, as all good ideas do. However, he had a personal preference not to do so, but he had to if he had any chance of finding the elusive Journal. Quickly, he walked to his empty backpack and started packing. He first put in the Journal he had now, and then put in "The Sunlit Era". Then, he picked up his backpack and headed towards the kitchen. Setting down his backpack by the sink, he opened up the fridge for food.

Amongst the ketchup bottles, abandoned quiche, and bag of chips was a bag, gingerly placed amongst the other food items. Dipper smiled softly when he saw the writing. In Mabel's handwriting, the bag said, "Emergency Lunch for Emergency Dipper Missions", and a whole bunch of drawings of pigs, flowers, and hearts were drawn around the writing. Still marveling at Mabel's preparedness, he put the bag into his backpack and put it on. Finally, as he went to the table, he picked up the map and folded and put it into his front pockets. Then, with a sigh, he went out the front door.

The place he was going was like Rome. An old saying was that all roads led to Rome. It seemed as though he couldn't move two feet into the monster world without knowing about the place he was going. Unfortunately, he had too many bad experiences with place. However, he had to go there to get a good look at the surrounding area and find the landmarks on the map. He lifted his gaze to the location. He had a long road ahead of him. Luckily, the day was still young and all roads led to that place.

All roads led to Mt. Ebott.

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"This is a problem," Dipper announced once he reached the base of the mountain, and indeed, it was true. Now, he was going to go out on a limb and guess that word somehow got around about Mt. Ebott being a dangerous place and now, a giant chain link fence was in place, with signs like, "Do no enter," or "No trespassing,". Unfortunately, Dipper not only left his wire cutters at home but he also didn't have any wire cutters in the first place.

As he tried to figure out how to get passed the literal barrier in front of him, he didn't realize someone was right behind him.

"Hey," was all the figure said, immediately causing Dipper to gasp in surprise and turn around, only to find an acquaintance. It was Alex. Alex smiled brightly as he always did. Unfortunately, Dipper was a little uncomfortable about meeting his sister's boyfriend at the base of Mt. Ebott, but then again, who wouldn't?

"You're Dipper, right?" Alex asked with a wink, although Dipper wasn't sure what that wink was for.

"Uh... yeah," Dipper replied, trying to find a way to sneak away.

"What are you doing here? You're not allowed to climb up Mt. Ebott anymore," Alex asked, trying to find out information Dipper was not willing to give.

"I... uh... well, I wanted to see the view from up there..." Immediately, Dipper wanted to slap himself after saying that.

"There are other mountains you could climb. I'm sure those mountains are more... legal," Alex responded, pointing towards the rest of the surrounding mountain range.

"No. You don't understand. I want to climb THIS mountain in particular," Dipper answered, trying to make his ambiguous answer sound realistic.

Unfortunately, Alex wasn't gullible. He cocked his head to one side in curiosity. "You wanna climb this mountain that bad?"

Dipper decided to keep his mouth shut. Instead, he just nodded awkwardly, hoping that maybe the kid would just leave him alone for once. Maybe cut him some slack.

Alex analyzed Dipper's expression before shrugging. "Alright. I'll help you."

"Wait...what?" Dipper said, dumbfoundedly as Alex walked up to the chain fence and peered through it. Then, he turned towards Dipper with a smirk.

"Well, c'mon! You can climb on my back," Alex offered, kneeling so that Dipper could stand on his back and reach the top of the fence. Dipper weighed the pros and cons and decided he might as well trust Alex since this could give him a chance to reach the location he was looking for.

Carefully, he stepped onto Alex's back, cautious as to how Alex would take the new weight. Upon finding Alex to be fine, Dipper placed his other foot onto his back and tried to reach the top of the fence. Stretching his arm as far as he could, he tried to get a grip on the chains of the fence. Upon getting a good grip on the chain, he put one of his feet up to try and find purchase on the fence. Mt. Ebott was within his reach as he found the proper place to allow him to lift his weight. Soon, he would be over the fence, if he could just...

"What are you kids doing?" A voice questioned behind them, causing Dipper to become unstable from how startled he was. Unfortunately, Alex was also startled and accidentally moved just enough to make Dipper fall right on top of him. The boys were in a pile as a shadow crossed their prone bodies. Dipper looked up nervously at the figure.

The man had short, light brown hair and his eyes were a dark brown. He looked to be in his late teens or early twenties and his height and weight seemed to be average for that age, other than his noticeable slouch. Over his hair was a black hat with words in white, saying "I Hate Mondays". His shirt was light blue with painted words, in white, saying, "I've Wasted My Life!" Over the shirt was a black vest and he wore black slacks and black shoes. Clenched between his teeth was a cigarette. He looked disgruntled and unhappy with his situation as he adjusted his hat a little.

"Ugh... Why do I always have to do the dirty work?"

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Dipper was seriously regretting his life decisions. What had brought him to this state? How was he supposed to explain this? He was tied up next to Alex in the back of a bus that was driven by a man who hated life. How could a guy who hated his job so much do so well at his job? Before Dipper knew it, the bus driver had already tied them up and taken them to the bus!

"Look, I understand the whole, 'drive us back to our guardians' part, but not the 'tie them up in the back of my bus' part," Dipper said, trying to reason with the driver.

The man sighed. "Look, guys. I'm not happy about the rules either," he replied with a frown. "If I had my way, I would've encouraged you guys to do that, but the rules are rules. If they say I have to tie up everybody who tries to enter the fence in my bus, then I have to do that, otherwise I will lose my job."

"But... you don't like your job," Dipper retorted.

"Yeah, but I have to pay my bills somehow," The man answered defeatedly. "Look kid. I've come to accept my fate. Even if I try to get fired, it won't happen. One time, I stole burgers from Mettaton and... well, I wasn't fired, no matter how humiliating it was."

"Mettaton..." Dipper murmured, immediately finding the pieces clicking into place. Mettaton, as it turned out, was a real entertainment robot, according to "The Sunlit Era," and that he had existed in the Underground before his debut on the surface. Also, the people Mettaton hired were usually monsters, in order to keep the secret, so if this driver had worked for Mettaton before, he must've been...

"You're a monster," he finally said, calmly. The driver was silent for a while before responding.

"What? Do you wanna cookie or something? You kids from Toriel's school know all about monsters," The driver replied nonchalantly. Dipper looked at Alex in shock, while Alex merely looked down at the floor. Then, the bus driver continued talking, causing Dipper to look up. "Anyways, what were you doing there?"

Before Dipper could even have a chance to respond, Alex lifted his head. "We were just exploring, mister," Alex started with an innocent sounding voice, though it hid his true intentions. He turned towards Dipper as he made up his excuse. "It ain't everyday the mayor chooses to close off an entire mountain. We just wanted some adventure."

"Adventure, huh?" The driver asked. "I've been there, kid. I thought being on the Surface would change everything, yet here I am, still only being paid minimum wage."

"What if it didn't have to be that way?" Dipper started, a plan fully formed in his mind. "What if you could adventure with us?"

"I wish I could, little buddy, but I have a schedule to keep and a minimum wage to earn. Plus, Monsters have been underneath Mt. Ebott for years. Why would I want to go back?" The driver reasoned.

"I wasn't going up there just to explore Mt. Ebott!" Dipper blurted, immediately causing Alex to turn towards him in confusion.

The driver was silent, but upon looking at the giant mirror near the front, he was just as confused as Alex.

"I found a map. A map that leads to a treasure. I went up Mt. Ebott to try and figure out what the landmarks on the map are," he explained. "If you let us go and help us figure out where the map leads, you can join us!"

The bus driver was quiet for a long time. He looked as though he was thinking. In doing so, he seemed to chew on the end of the cigarette in his mouth. Occasionally, he would let out a grunt as if counting and one time, he looked at the boys in the mirror, studying their every detail. Finally, he let out a sigh and continued driving. Alex looked at Dipper regretfully as they both realized their plan didn't work...

Suddenly, the driver pulled off the road onto the dirt on the side. He seemed to be mumbling under his breath about how he was going to lose his job and how the boys better be telling the truth. Once the bus was safely on the side of the road, he got out of his seat, throwing his cigarette out of one of the open windows. Then, he approached the two boys and crouched in front of them.

"Wait! You're helping us?!" Alex asked in amazement.

"Look, little buddies. It was empty when I tied you up. This is the state of the bus 75 percent of the time," The driver reasoned, although he sounded unsure. "Please don't make me regret helping you."

The driver untied Dipper's wrists and in response, Dipper took out the map from his pockets and hesitantly, gave it to the older teen. The driver studied it for a while, mumbling to himself landmarks and roads. He looked up with a blank face before standing up and going to the front of the bus. Quickly, he took out from a compartment a folded piece of paper and went back towards the boys.

"Sorry, kid. Had to make sure you actually had a map," The teen apologized as he untied Alex and Dipper entirely.

"I recognize you now," Alex blurted after being untied. "Catty and Bratty told me about you. You're Burgerpants!"

The teen seemed to visibly cringe at the name as Dipper stared incredulously at Alex.

"His name can't be Burgerpants," Dipper said firmly.

"Actually, little buddy, that's my dumb nickname. Everybody calls me that, whether I like it or not," Burgerpants replied, defeatedly.

"Yeah. Catty and Bratty told me that you were trying to smuggle burgers in the pockets of your pants, and-"

"Please, kid. I don't want to relive that!" Burgerpants interrupted, sheepishly.

The boys were silent as Burgerpants compared the crude map to his bus map of Gravity Falls. He chewed on the end of his cigarette for a bit as he thought. Now it became painfully obvious what was wrong with the map Dipper had found. There were too few landmarks. There was one mountain here and one river there, but there was no markings for forests, lakes, or strange flying saucer cut outs in a cliff. When it seemed there was a match, the similarities would stop and debunk the whole thing.

Then, the teen bus driver seemed to get a spark of inspiration. He pointed towards a mountain on the treasure map and then he pointed at a specific mountain on the map. "Mount Ebott," he murmured, seemingly to himself.

He pointed at a river that flowed from Mount Ebott and then pointed at a corresponding river on his own map. "Sunshine River." Finally, he pointed at a rounded hill on Dipper's map opposite of Mt. Ebott. Sure enough, the exact same hill was on his own map. "Key hill."

Quickly, Burgerpants put the crude map on top of his bus map and made sure the landmarks were in the same place on each map. To everyone's surprise, the map on top suddenly became see through, so that only the ink that led the way to the treasure was visible on the other map. Dipper was shocked but upon looking at Burgerpants' face, he didn't look even a bit surprised.

"Magical enchantment," he explained. "Monsters are able to imbue anything they'd like with their magic. Depending on what you effect you put on it, lots of your magic might be used up and you are down to small spell attacks. Luckily for this monster, making paper see through when met with a proper counterpart is not difficult to maintain and luckily for us, the monster who made this is not dead."

Dipper couldn't help but smile excitedly. "You mean the creator of this map isn't dead?!"

"Look, little buddy, there is no way an enchantment can work when the SOUL that fueled it is gone," Burgerpants answered. "It's like asking if a clock would still work if the battery was gone."

Without warning, Dipper squealed, causing Burgerpants to look at him strangely and Alex to stare at him suspiciously. This didn't stop Dipper from smiling, however. If the map itself confirmed that the maker of the map was still around, at least one of the Authors of the Journals was still alive! This took away the doubt Dipper had pushed aside from his mind that the Authors might've long been dead.

After the squeal, however, embarrassment rushed over him. Burgerpants shrugged sympathetically before returning his gaze to the map before him. With Alex, it took a few more seconds for him to stop his suspicious look. Once again, the teen bus driver chewed on the end of his cigarette as he muttered to himself about the map.

"Why do you smoke?" Alex asked suddenly.

"Because I've wasted my life," Burgerpants replied with a forced smile. "You still have time, little buddy. Unless you have wasted your life, kids shouldn't smoke."

Dipper looked at Alex questioningly, not understanding Burgerpants' reasonings. All Alex did was shrug and return to watching the bus driver ponder as to where everything was. It was confusing when the teen shook his head.

"You kids were heading up Mt. Ebott?"

"Yeah," Dipper replied. "Why?"

"Look, little buddy. You were heading the wrong way." With that, Burgerpants placed the map on one of the empty seats beside them. "See? Mt. Ebott is the farthest you could be from the treasure. Where you want to go is Golden Sunlight Lake."

"That says Gravity Lake," Dipper corrected with a frown.

The teen shrugged. "Tomato. Tomato," he said, pronouncing it differently each time. "Monsters came up with more appropriate names."

"Why is it in the middle of the lake?" Alex asked, pointing at the X in the lake.

"That would be Scuttlebutt Island," Burgerpants replied bluntly.

Dipper tried hard not to smile at the ridiculous name. "What's the monster name for the island?"

"Scuttlebutt Island," the teen repeated. "That is one of the few landmarks we decided could keep its name. As great as King Asgore is, he can't come up with good names to save his life!"

"King Asgore?" Dipper questioned.

"Y'know, buddy. The King of all Monsters?" Burgerpants said, surprised Dipper didn't know that crucial bit of information. "Or, at least he was. Now he prefers his life of solitude. He prefers to not be a king."

"Anyways," Alex continued. "We should probably get a move on the treasure."

"Agreed," Burgerpants replied. "You kids should strap yourselves in." Before the two boys could react, the teen bus driver speedily went to the front of the bus and took a seat. The two boys looked at each other and nodded in agreement. They were going to follow the teen's instructions. The quickly jumped into the seats next to them. Dipper held delicately in his hands the map. It was at this moment that he realized there was no way to buckle himself in.

"Burgerpants! There's no seat belts!" Dipper yelled up.

"Lesson one: Life doesn't always give you seat belts, little buddy," the driver shouted back as he pressed buttons and pulled levers. "Lesson two: Don't ever follow my example. I am not that good of an example. In this instance, don't speed, kid. It might get you killed."

"And you're okay with doing that?!" Alex argued.

"Shut up and let me drive, buddy!" Burgerpants replied unhappily. "Okay. Hold on, because this will be a worse ride than the bus in that cartoon that teaches you about science by going on impossible field trips with magic!"

"You mean the Magic SCHHOOOOOLLLL BUUSSSSS?!" Halfway through his sentence, the bus jerked into motion like a speeding bullet. Dipper gritted his teeth and held onto the seat in front of him. Upon finding himself in a relatively safe position, despite the speed the bus was going, he looked around.

Trees and other vegetation beside the bus had become a blur as the bus continued on its way. Surprisingly, Burgerpants seemed relatively unfazed by the speed the bus was going, since he wasn't gritting his teeth and he wasn't holding onto the steering wheel for dear life. Upon looking in the giant mirror driver, Dipper could see a satisfied smile creep up the teen's face. It wasn't creepy. It was the smile of a man who was finally doing what he loved. Unfortunately, that was breaking the law.

A siren blared as a police car pulled out from the side of the road right behind them. In the driver's seat was a man in a sheriff's uniform. He had darker skin and brown hair with a mustache across his lip. His eyes were not visible underneath the dark sunglasses he wore. Beside him was his deputy. His deputy had fair skin and did not have any visible hair. He was skinny and lanky. The sheriff put his head out of the window with a megaphone to his mouth.

"PULL OVER AND GET OUT OF THE BUS!" The sheriff stated before his deputy took the megaphone carefully from the sheriff's hands and put his own head through the window.

"YEAH! OR ELSE WE'LL FORCE YA OFF THE ROAD!" The deputy added as the sheriff smiled softly.

"Crap! It's Sheriff Blubs!" Burgerpants cursed in his front seat. "I'll lose my job for sure!"

"Don't you have any monster magic or something to help us out?!" Alex shouted at the driver as he ran up the aisle. This seemed to spark something in Burgerpants' mind.

"Here, kid! Take the wheel!" Before Alex could protest, the teen had left the seat, leaving it up to the him to stop the bus from veering off into oncoming traffic. In the meantime, Burgerpants walked to the back of the bus, passing by Dipper.

"What are you doing?!" Dipper asked, worriedly.

"Something no one should do. Remember lesson two," Burgerpants replied as he started to glow subtly.

Then, like the light was just dust, light came off of him, revealing his true form. The teen looked to be a mix between a cat and a canine, with his big pointed ears and his rounded face. Other than that, he seemed to look like an anthropomorphic animal with the only telling characteristics being his face and the fur that covered his entire body.

Suddenly, he crouched down as he placed his hands near the places where the wheels were. His hands glowed with magic and Dipper couldn't help but watch in wonder. He was still getting used to this aspect of his life and whenever he encountered it first hand, he felt like a scientist, noting everything there was that was interesting and important.

Then, it was as if the bus had hit a powerup in a racing game. With the sound of a rocket, the bus lurched forward with great speed. By the time the bus slowed down, it had been as if nothing had happened. The only evidence that the bus had even went faster than normal was the fact the sheriff and his deputy was nowhere to be seen.

"Wh-what did you do?" Dipper asked, shakily as the teen wiped the sweat off his brow and turned into his human form.

"It's my special magic. I can do anything and everything that is bad for everyone else. It is bad to resist arrest, so we did just that," Burgerpants responded with a shrug.

"Do you mind?" Alex said, a little more than aggravated at the fact he was still driving the bus.

"Sorry, little buddy," the teen apologized as he took the seat and the wheel. "Next stop: Gravity Harbor."

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"I'm sorry, Undyne," Sheriff Blubs said apologetically after explaining what had happened. "The bus sped away! It was so odd."

"It's almost like there is some strange supernatural things in this town that no one can see or remember after encountering..." Deputy Durland added with a strange look in his eye. After seeing Blubs' encouraging smile, Durland smiled back. Undyne merely grinned like she usually did. Giant and toothy.

"I wouldn't worry about it, you two," she reassured. "That bus belonged to a teen who had wasted his entire life under Mettaton. Hopefully, we can let him off with a warning and hope he has escaped his wasted life."

"So, you aren't firing us?" Durland asked in amazement.

"Why would I do that to you two?" Undyne replied with a grin. "You two did great on the field."

"That's us! Field people! Woot woot!" Deputy Durland cheered while Sheriff Blubs laughed happily.

"Well, I can't argue with that," Blubs said pointedly at Durland. Then, he looked to Undyne. "So, how's your wife?"

"As nerdy as usual! Just how I like her," Undyne responded proudly, unintentionally going into a heroic pose. "If I'm honest, it's getting a lot better. Her self-esteem, I mean. I guess I'm glad I'm there for her."

"Well, send her my love," Sheriff Blubs replied with a friendly smile.

"LOVE! LOVE!" Durland shouted once more, causing Blubs to chuckle more.

"Send her OUR love," Blubs corrected.

Undyne stared at the duo with a knowing grin, noticing their familiarity with each other. It wasn't long before the duo got a bit uncomfortable with her stare. Then, Undyne turned away, going back to her car.

"I can see why Alphys writes fanfiction about you two," Undyne said allowed, leaving Sheriff Blubs and Deputy Durland to figure out what that meant.

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"Soooooo... how are we getting to Scuttlebutt Island?" Dipper asked, not understanding why Burgerpants and Alex were hiding behind a bunch of crates in Gravity Harbor when a lot of people were already there.

"We need a boat," Alex replied, bluntly.

"Wow, thanks for the info, Sherlock," Dipper responded, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

"That boat over there is owned by the Northwests," The bus driver finally said, pointing at a fancy white yacht a little ways away from them. "And they also own that one, and that one, and that one. The list goes on." Dipper looked at each of the boats Burgerpants pointed at, realizing how spoiled Pacifica, the girl who yelled at a crowd of people at the museum, was.

"So, if they have a ton of boats-"

"They wouldn't miss one," Alex replied, completing Burgerpants' statement.

"You've got to be crazy!" Dipper whispered. "You can't steal a boat!"

"Remember lesson two. I can do what you guys can't," Burgerpants responded, cryptically. "Watch but don't learn."

The teen stood up and took a deep breath. Then, he yelled.

"MTT-BRAND FISH BAIT IS HALF OFF IN THE BAIT SHOP!" Burgerpants shouted. The effect was almost immediate. Since everybody was crazy about Mettaton, not only did nobody stop to consider why it was half off but they also didn't realize that Mettaton brand fish bait didn't exist. Water hurt robotic bodies, so why would the robotic superstar fish? It didn't matter anyways, since everybody in the dock took the bait, pun intended. Soon, nobody was on the dock that would care if a boat was stolen right in front of them.

"Quick, little buddies. Now's our chance!" The teen ordered. Alex and Dipper nodded in acknowledgment and didn't hesitate to follow the bus driver onto the fancy Northwest yacht.

"How will you start it up without the key?" Dipper asked as they ran to the door into the command room. Inside the room was the wheel that would steer the entire boat towards its destination.

"Monster magic, don't fail me now!" Burgerpants said, mostly to himself as once again, he transformed into his monster form. Then, out of mid-air, he created a key. Taking the newly-formed key, he put it into the ignition and turned it. Nothing happened.

"C'mon, c'mon, C'MON!" He grunted as he continued to try and turn the key until finally, the engine roared to life. The teen let out a laugh of relief as he took to the steering wheel. The yacht moved slowly forward until it jolted to a stop.

"What happened?" Burgerpants asked in alarm.

"I've got it!" Alex replied as he ran out of the control room and onto the deck. Dipper, in the meantime, pulled out a foldable table and placed it in the center of the room. There, he unrolled the map and put a compass on top of it. He smiled at his handiwork when the yacht started forward once again.

"Yes!" The teen yelled out in excitement. "Take that, Northwests!"

"Next stop: Scuttlebutt Island!"

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Strangely, when they got closer to the island, fog seemed to surround them, obscuring their view almost entirely. It seemed to make the area more spooky and mysterious as they went through the murky water. Dipper leaned against the glass railings at the front of the boat, watching it cut through the fog like a knife.

"Creepy," Alex's voice said behind him. "Almost like this place wants to be forgotten."

"Yeah, like memories you wish you could forget," Dipper replied in a somber tone.

"Or people who wish they could just disappear," Alex responded as he, too, leaned up against the glass railings, the wind going through the two boys' hair.

"Why didn't you tell me you knew about monsters?" His question rang through the damp air.

"It's a secret best kept amongst ourselves, Dipper. We were asked to keep it ever since we joined Toriel's school. We grew to love monsters. How could we betray them like that?" Alex said, his voice quiet and serious.

"Who would hide a treasure out here?" Dipper asked, changing the subject.

"Only a crazy man would hide it here, unless..." Alex paused before looking at Dipper. "Unless they don't want their treasure to be found."

"Why would they make a map, then?"

"Who knows? Maybe someone else made it, just as a reminder."

There was silence between the two boys. It was times like these that Dipper actually missed Chara. He hated to admit it. He hated to admit he missed a ghost who possessed him and tried to kill everyone he loved. No. He didn't miss that part of her, he realized. There seemed to be a part of Chara that seemed genuine, though he pushed it aside as just an act. Now, however, he could see there was something deep down in her that liked him. Why else would she help him see the hidden writing in the pages of the Journal? Why else would she help him get out of the Underground? Sure, it may have been to win his trust. He tried to convince himself of that, but now, it seemed that the acts of guiding she did were different from everything else.

He shook his head. Chara was gone. He should hate her, like the monster she was. She was truly dead, and she almost killed his Dunkle, the thought of which was still fresh in Dipper's mind.

"Do you hear something?" Alex said suddenly. Dipper listened silently for a while. For a moment, he couldn't hear anything other than the hum of the engine. Then, he heard it. There was sound as if metal was breaking. It was not very obvious, but almost immediately after hearing the sound, he heard a shriek. An inhuman shriek.

"Shrieking eels," Alex murmured, clearly panicked.

"I thought that was only in the Princess Bride!" Dipper replied in shock.

"And when has anything ever stayed fiction in this town, Dipper?!" Alex shouted, before running towards the control room. "We need a way to stop them and the metal-eating piranhas from destroying the ship!"

"Metal-eating piranhas?!" He yelled back, trying to understand what was even happening. Then, a bunch of piranhas jumped out of water feet ahead of the boat, showing that they existed. Dipper gasped in panic as he tried to figure out what to do.

"M-metal... e-eating piranhas?! Sh-shrieking eels?!" Burgerpants stuttered as he came out of the control room, visibly shaking in his boots. Another shriek rang through the air, causing the teen to jump. "Right... uhmmm... I'll be back. Stay calm!"

Alex and Dipper were anything but calm as they watched a clearly shaken Burgerpants run into a room reserved for the crew on the yacht. Now, it was up for the two boys to find a way to deflect the terrors of the deep.

"I'm gonna check below deck. Maybe there is a gun or flare or something!" Alex yelled as he ran below deck to do just that. Now, it was just Dipper, who found it hard to concentrate when a shriek or the sound of metal breaking would ring out around the boat.

He had to think. What would tell him how to deflect piranhas? That's when he realized what he needed to do. The Journal! It had to have something about these two creatures. All he had to do was get to the control room, where his backpack was. As he walked briskly across the deck, however, the boat jolted as it seemed a giant shrieking eel had bumped into the boat. This caused Dipper to fall onto his stomach. It was scary to have the wind knocked out of you right at a moment when your life was in immediate peril and you needed to find something quickly.

With a steely resolve, he picked himself back up as the boat continued to be tossed by the many eels that continued to brush against the bottom of the yacht. Finally, he reached the control room. The boat continued to rock back and forth as Dipper tried to balance himself enough to walk to his backpack. With shaky step after shaky step, he found himself right next to his goal. Quickly unzipping the bag, he found the Journal. Swiftly but carefully, he flipped past page after page, praying that the next page would tell him the information he was looking for.

"Shrieking eels!" He cheered when he found the page for that exact creature. Skimming through the page, he found the area for the weakness of the formidable creatures attacking the boat. His heart sank when he found it, however. With a frown, he took note of the weakness and searched for the metal-eating piranhas' weakness. When he found the right page, he found himself devoid of hope. What were the odds they would have the exact weakness they needed? They weren't likely, that was for sure.

"Dipper!" Alex shouted from below deck. Quickly, Dipper put the Journal back and ran to the top of the stairs leading down.

"What is it?!" Dipper yelled back, looking down at Alex.

"You wouldn't believe how many citrus fruits I have found down here!"

Dipper's heart stopped. "W-what?! Citrus?!"

"Yeah! The Northwests must drink a lot of lemon water, orange juice, lemonade or something because we have crates and crates of oranges and lemons!"

"That's their weakness!" Dipper yelled happily, a hopeful smile replacing his frown.

"Well, I know citrus is scurvy's weakness, but-"

"No! The weakness of the shrieking eels are oranges and the weakness of the piranhas are lemons!" Dipper replied.

Alex's eyes widened and a giant grin appeared on his face. "What are we waiting for?! Let's make these creatures wish they had never been born!"

Dipper raced down the stairs, despite the banging of the eels and the gnawing of the piranhas. Alex had already found a crowbar and was trying to open up a wooden crate full of lemons. With Dipper's help, the top of the box came off with a satisfying crack and as Dipper put lemons in his pockets, Alex went off to open a crate full of oranges, filling his pockets full of oranges. When they were ready, they looked at each other, smiled confidently at each other, and ran up the stairs, yelling like as though they had a battle cry.

Alex threw the oranges at each shrieking eels he could see. Whenever the eel would see the orange, it would swim away with an injured shriek. Occasionally, whenever an eel was too adventurous, he would poke holes into the peel of the orange and throw it in, causing the orange-y citrus to not only repel the eels, but also cause them to writhe in pain from the stinging pain. However, whenever Dipper would try his method, the piranhas would swim away and then resume eating the ship. That's when an idea came into Dipper's head.

Taking a rope, he tied it to a metal pole before tying the other end to himself. Then, taking a knife, he cut a lemon in half and put one half of it in both of his hands.

"I'M GONNA REGRET THIS!" He cried out as he sprinted towards the edge of the yacht, holding his breath. Then, he jumped over the glass railings and found himself swinging near the edge of the boat underwater. Putting both halves of the lemon on the metal, he ran across the side of the boat before jumping out of the water to get a breath of air. When he went under again, he found his idea had worked. The piranhas were not coming near him or the side of the boat. With a smile, he swam as fast as he could to the other side of the yacht and did the exact thing, except this time, when he came up for air, he ran up the side of the boat.

Then, like a fish out of water, he flopped on the deck, wet and coughing up water. Alex smirked at him, realizing that Dipper meant to stick the landing. Alex stuck out his hand and Dipper took it, gratefully. Afterwards, Alex ran to the side of the yacht.

"It worked! Well done, Dipper!" Alex cheered, clapping Dipper's back. Dipper laughed a bit, his face turning red as he scratched his back. That's when they heard the door bust open loudly and Burgerpants yelling with a book open to a page in his hands.

"I FOUND IT! THE PIRANHAS AND EELS ARE VULNERABLE TO ORANGES AND LEMONS! I... think... we... h-have some... below deck," The teen stuttered upon seeing the two boys holding those two exact citrus fruits. Then, he turned to the sides of the boat to find no eels or piranhas there. Burgerpants stood leaning against the glass railing, looking into the sea for a while. Finally, Dipper approached him.

"Uhm... Mr... Mr. Burgerpants?" Dipper asked, unsurely.

"Heh... I-I guess... You didn't need me..." The teen replied with a small smile that clearly looked fake. Then, he turned around and cleared his throat. "Good work, crew. I... I guess I'll go back to... steering the ship."

Before Alex or Dipper could reply, Burgerpants had gone back to the control room and the two boys were left alone on deck again. Dipper sighed in exhaustion and sadness. Burgerpants didn't sound so happy. Despite his smile and happy sounding attitude, it was clearly fake and he clearly thought he hadn't helped at all. Maybe once they reached the island, Burgerpants would feel better.

...Right?

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Scuttlebutt island was just as spooky as the surrounding water, if not, spookier. There was something about the way the foliage seemed to be darker and droopier that any other vegetation in Gravity Falls and the way the terrain seemed to look like a skull. If anything, the stupid name, Scuttlebutt Island, was a misnomer. What was even droopier than the trees, however, was the teen, Burgerpants.

"Here you kids go," he said somberly once they reached the shore. "If you don't want me going with you, I can just stay here."

"What?! No way are we going to leave you behind!" Alex replied with a grin, trying to cheer the teen up. "You helped us with this whole adventure. We can't do this without you!"

"Yeah, well, some people are better known by their stupid nicknames rather than the stuff they've done," Burgerpants reasoned. "Look at this island. It's done some spooky stuff with its plants, but it is only known by its name. Even if I do something heroic, I doubt anyone would remember me for that."

"But you know what to do when we come across trouble!" Dipper responded, thinking of how the teen had uncovered the mystery of the map, had stolen a boat just for this adventure, and ran to get a book to find out the eels' and piranhas' weaknesses.

"Look, buddy, when I saw those monsters attacking the boat, I totally freaked!" The teen admitted, miserably. "I only found those books after getting over my fear. I think it would be better if you didn't have a coward in your group. I'll just stay here and keep the boat running."

Before Dipper could argue, Alex put his hand on his shoulder, signaling that Burgerpants' mind was made and that they should get going. Dipper shook his head sadly as they left the beach. Then, he took out the map. Surprisingly, the map had changed magically. Rather than showing the entirety of Gravity Falls, it now showed just Scuttlebutt Island, with the X still marking the exact spot of the Journal. Dipper couldn't help but be amazed at how monster magic had so many uses. How could any human live without monster magic?

Well, of course, that wasn't true, but according to the Sunlit Era, monsters and humans were partners for life a long time ago. Monster magic would be used along with the ingenuity of the humans to create inventions that only worked if both of the races were present. In other words, as much as monsters and humans had advanced independent of each other, Dipper could only imagine what inventions would be created and what would be discovered once monsters were finally common knowledge to everyone.

"We need to go to that cliff over there," Dipper ordered, pointing at a jagged cliff in the distance. A waterfall made that cliff noticeable as the dark water fell to an unforeseen fate.

"Right. Let's go," Alex replied as they both went on their way towards the cliff.

The forest was dense, the path cutting through it like a knife. The reason why this mysterious and creepy island was given such a name. It even seemed to strangely have its own climate. Rain started to pour down and when they finally were able to see past the dense brush across the lake, sun was shining down on the harbor. When they took a break to rest and get out of the cold rain, Dipper took out his own journal write down all he'd seen. Alex watched in interest.

"Whacha doing?" Alex asked, after watching for a while.

"This island is so interesting," Dipper replied, continuing to write. "I mean, where else can you say an island in the middle of a lake has its own climate?"

Alex shrugged. That's when he frowned. Dipper seemed to take notice immediately as Alex listened through the sound of rain. Then, he crouched down near a puddle and watched it carefully, pulling out a toy gun from its hold.

"What is it?" Dipper asked, watching the puddle. Before Alex could answer, the puddle answered for him. The water shook with a sound that was coming closer. It was like something big was coming towards them. It was coming closer... and closer... and closer... and...

Suddenly, the thunderous sounds of trees falling down came from behind them and as they turned around, a shadowy big monstrosity appeared above them above the treetops, tearing them out by the roots. The boys were in shock, unable to move away until a lightning strike lit up island and revealed what monster was before them.

The monster was like a giant... well, giant! It was huge with barely any clothing on, other than a piece of cloth on its bottom half. What made it look less like a giant human was that it only had one eye. It was monster that many had faced, but how could two kids have a chance to defeat it? After all, only few managed to defeat a-

"CYCLOPS!" Dipper screamed in horror.

Quickly, Alex pulled out his gun and aimed it, shakily, at the monstrosity before him. He pulled the trigger and the toy ammunition went towards the cyclops. However, Dipper was to horrified to notice that the ammunition was surrounded by a yellow glow of magic, something that he would realize once he got older. The shot hit its mark, but it didn't do any damage. Once the cyclops recovered from the initial shock of the attack, it took a step towards the boys.

"RUUUNNNNNN!" Alex shouted, the two boys running swiftly down the path towards the waterfall. Unfortunately, as slow as the cyclops was, its steps were huge, and because of this, it kept up with the kids just fine. The boys were losing ground as they followed the path.

"THIS WAY!" Dipper yelled once they realized the dirt path had split into two ways. Alex didn't argue with the decision, because there was no time to argue. The cyclops was on their tail. Every so often, Alex would shoot another pellet at the cyclops, trying once again to pierce its armor, only to find his ammunition was constantly being deflected.

Dipper gasped, causing Alex to turn back around towards where he was running. They came to a stop. It was a dead end. Though Dipper had chosen the right path, they had funneled themselves into a bottleneck with tall cliffs surrounding them on all sides. The map told them they were supposed to climb the steep cliffs, but it almost seemed like suicide. If they tried, they would either fall to their doom from how fast they would have to go and how slick the rocks were or they would become a cyclops' dinner. Neither option seemed good and they, quite literally, were in a rock and a hard place.

The cyclops approached them menacingly. It was like the cyclops was taunting them. It was approaching them slowly and it made Dipper wish he could've died some other way. I mean, why did he have to wait so long to be eaten? It wasn't that hard to be eaten!

That's when it happened.

Dipper didn't know what was happening at the time, but he later found out it was Mabel's doing. However, at the time, it seemed like a Deus Ex Machina in the form of a piercing shriek. Dipper and Alex put their hands to their ears and closed their eyes as they tried to shield themselves from the pain the noise was causing. It seemed that even earplugs couldn't save them from the pain. However, once their ears got used to the sound of pain, they opened their eyes to an unbelievable sight.

The cyclops shuddered and sputtered from the shriek. It couldn't handle the noise. It was too distracted from the pain that it was unable to act. It was unable to attack, and most importantly, it was unable to defend.

He came in like a warrior, earplugs in his ears and a cigarette clenched between his teeth. His eyes were like fire as he leaped into the air and changed into his true form. Magic coalesced between his hands as it took on a physical appearance. A giant cigarette. With a battlecry that rivaled the shriek that rang through the air, Burgerpants threw his magical attack at its mark.

The magical cigarette attack hit the cyclops' eye, causing it to shudder even more, sparks and electricity coming out of its injury. Without hesitation, the monster teen made another cigarette and threw it, this time, at the cyclops' knee. Once the cigarette his the knee, it didn't stop at penetrating the armor. It cut straight through the knee, causing the cyclops to fall forward. Quickly, Burgerpants took the two boys by the arms and ran straight towards the cyclops. While Dipper was screaming about how this was a bad idea, the teen took them close to him and slid right between the cyclops' legs before the entire thing crashed to the ground with a thud. By coincidence, it seemed the shrieking noise had stopped right after it had hit the ground.

Burgerpants took out his earplugs upon realizing the noise was gone and turned to the boys, his clothes and body covered with mud. "Remember, little buddy. Smoking is bad. This is why!" He said, motioning to the cyclops behind him, steaming and whirring.

"It's almost like it was-" Alex started, looking upon the cyclops.

"My robot!" A scratchy voice interrupted as an old man dress in hillbilly clothes jumped out of a hatch on the back of the head of the cyclops. "What the pigswaggle didja do to my one-eyed giant?"

He looked at Burgerpants angrily until his eyes fell upon Dipper. The old man smiled in his crazy way. "Well, if it isn't the Oak Tree, Dipper! Ain't seen ya since that Gobblewonker showed up and nearly killed us all!"

"You almost killed us all!" Dipper replied bitterly. "I don't even know you!"

"Playing dumb, huh? Welp, that's fine! I'm gonna build more terrible inventions!" Then, with a crazed laugh, the man ran away before anything could be said or done.

Burgerpants had a neutral expression on his face as he approached the wreckage of the cyclops he had destroyed. He kneeled beside it, seemingly deep in thought. Alex and Dipper looked at each other, both silently agreeing to approach him.

"Are you okay?" Alex asked, concerned.

"I've been working minimum wage jobs for decades now and never once have I destroyed a cyclops," the teen replied before turning to the two boys with a genuine grin. "How do you think I feel?"

"You were great out there, Burgerpants," Dipper answered with a grin.

"Larry," Burgerpants said with a friendly smile. "My name's Larry."

The teen stood up. "I always thought my life had been wasted, always working in a minimum wage job, but I never realized that I could actually just go and do something, rather than just whine about it. I guess I have you guys to thank, little buddies."

"Well, maybe you can become a globetrotting archaeologist, going on dangerous adventures and getting awesome artifacts! You could quit your jobs to do that!" Alex suggested with a smile.

"Yeah... yeah! I could become famous and rich! I would never have to do a minimum wage job again!"

"Well, this adventure isn't over yet, Larry. We still have a treasure to find!" Dipper encouraged as he pointed towards the waterfall.

"What are we waiting for, little buddy?!" Larry responded. "Let's go!"

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As it turned out, there was a cave behind the waterfall. As they broke through the water, they were greeted with old machinery lost to time. Most of them looked like the Human-Monster inventions Dipper had seen in the pictures of the Sunlit Era. However, as much as Alex and Larry gaped at the technology, Dipper continued to search for the elusive Journal.

That's when he remembered how he'd found his Journal. It was in a tree, and in the center of the room was a pillar, seemingly out of place. It seemed to be conveniently placed there to hide something inside. That's when Dipper found the handprint on one of the consoles. Just like the one he had found before, it looked like a hand except for the circle in the center. Upon pressing it, the column opened.

"Woah! What did you find?" Larry asked, watching Dipper as he approached the secret compartment of the column. To be honest, it took all of Dipper's will to keep himself from shrieking. He was so excited. He opened it up and found...

A piece of paper was in the compartment. A little disappointed and a little confused, Dipper pulled it out and read it aloud to Alex and Larry. "Dear G, I owe you one copy of the first Journal. I will see you soon. Love, C."

"A journal?" Alex responded, confused.

"This map was supposed to lead to a Journal that could explain everything in Gravity Falls!" Dipper replied, a little bitter and angry. "I've come all this way and all I find is a piece of paper, saying someone took it? What was the point of this?"

"Look, little buddy, this adventure wasn't completely for nothing," Larry said, trying to cheer up Dipper. "You helped me get my confidence back! I will become the best finder of rare artifacts from Gravity Falls there is! Not only that, but now you have a clue as to who has the Journal. Someone who has a C in their name."

"That's true," Dipper admitted, his defenses crumbling. "I guess I did find some extremely rare magical tech as well."

"That's the spirit!" Alex cheered happily.

"Well, it's late. Why don't we go back into town and go get some Nice Cream, little buddies?" Larry asked, knowing that no one could ever say no to Nice Cream.

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The twins were worried. Dipper had taken his sweet time eating his Nice Cream and yet, when he came back, Sans hadn't come back. Now, it had been two hours since then and the twins were already getting ready to call someone.

Who should they call? Undyne was a policeman, so maybe she could start up a search. Maybe they could call Toriel. Toriel somehow was able to bring Sans close to her. Alphys? Maybe he was getting a checkup. He still had to do that sometimes ever since the Chara incident. Maybe he was at Grillbys. Everybody knew how much he loved-

The door opened as a tired, sweaty Sans came into the house. He sighed from exhaustion as he took off his coat. It must've been a hard day for Sans, if he decided to take off his coat. Upon seeing the Mystery Twins, however, his smile brightened.

"sorry i'm late. had a BONE-tiring day." Sans greeted before Mabel and Dipper approached him.

"We were so worried! Where were you?" Mabel said, still recovering from the stress and worry.

"don't worry, baby bones. i just had to get something back," he replied, pulling out two glass tubes. On each closed tube, there was a slip of paper labeling it. On one, it said, "Dipper" and on the other, it said, "Mabel".

"What are those?" Dipper asked, looking at his own tube with a confused and concerned look.

"i bring you a gift," Sans answered with a sly grin as he transformed into his true form. "i'd say stolen memories are a great gift for your relatives."

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TEL FP QEB DLA LC EVMBOABXQE XKA X YFD CRWWV MRPELSBO?

 **X DLIABK CILTBO**

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 **A/N Thank you guys for being patient and please, if you want to tell me anything, PM me! I will most likely answer in 24 hours! Next up, Mabel the Muse!**


	10. Short 1: Friskdo and the Darkness

**A/N Sorry guys. The next chapter is kinda taking awhile because I have hit my writer's block. If you wish to help me, then PM me and I will tell you what I need. This is mainly just a prequel short to keep you guys entertained. Enjoy!**

 _"A great evil lurks in the darkness of mortals' minds. Many have gone insane trying to right this evil, and few have even known what had caused such madness. A band of mighty adventurers hope to find out the truth and defeat the evil that may cause the end of all mankind..."_

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"And that's who you guys are!" MK said with a smile from behind her screen. "Now, you guys can introduce your characters. Since Frisk is kind of an important character, she should go first."

The DETERMINED girl smiled happily, her eyes closed permanently. "Alright!"

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A figure darted from bush to bush in the darkened forest, their eyes gleaming. Suddenly, a bush moved, and the figure stopped, showing off their glowing dagger as they tried to threaten the creature. Their green cloak blew in the nonexistent wind and a ring on a chain reflects back light.

From out of the bush, a terrifying creature jumps out! It's a terrifying white rabbit. The figure immediately takes off their hood, revealing it to be a man with curly brown hair. The figure is short in stature, as proven by the fact that when the he motions for the bunny to go onto its hand, the bunny covers his entire hand and half of his arm. The man smiles as it picks up the bunny, before allowing it to run off to its nature friends.

It's **FRISKDO!**

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"Friskdo?" MK repeated, clearly unimpressed and confused by her friend's choices.

"Yeah!" Frisk replied, proud of her character. "Friskdo: a level 3 hobbit rogue! After finding a mysterious ring, he hopes to banish the darkness with the power of PACIFISM!"

"Allllright..." the Dungeon Master replied, shaking her head. "Who's next?"

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"Friskdooooo!" A voice called out, causing the young hobbit to turn around, looking back down the path he came from. Suddenly, a tall goofy looking skeleton with blond, shoulder-length hair and bangs, came running to the young rogue. He pulled out his goofy looking weapon, a mix between a sword and guitar. He had platinum armor that covered his entire body, except for his head. Strangely, he looked like the Great Papyrus in his amazing battle body, other than the fact it was made out of metal. Where the skeleton's ears, or rather, lack of ears, should've been, fake elven ear were glued to the side of his head.

"Fear not, Friskdo, for I, the Great Papyros, will protect you!" The man yelled, causing Friskdo to giggle.

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"My name's the Great Papyros!" Papyrus exclaimed with glee. "I am a level 5 elven bard-fighter! I have proficiency in puzzles and singing!"

MK sighed. "Who's next?"

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"Great Papyros, it was just a bunny!" Friskdos exclaimed amongst his giggling.

"Oh..." The Great Papyros replied, a suspicious look on his eyes as he examined the situation. "But who knows, what that bunny is up to..."

From behind The Great Papyros, a skeleton of smaller stature appeared behind him. This skeleton looked a lot like Sans, other than the fact that he was draped in purple wizard robes way to big for him and a wizard hat that was tilted to the right side. The skeleton shrugged, his hands unable to be seen because of the long sleeves.

"he's right," the wizard replied. "this could be the opportunity he's been HOPPING for!"

A drum set played as Friskdo laughed until he couldn't breath and th Great Papyros looked like he was about to blow a gasket.

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"SANNNSSSS!" Papyrus screeched angrily."

"the name's actually snas," Sans replied with a wink, nonchalantly.

"Whatever it is, I encourage you not to make puns that work better in a written format!" Papyrus scolded with a glare. "It doesn't make any sense."

"ok. i'll try not to make it..."

"Snas, don't you dare..."

"a HOBBIT!" Sans exclaimed, high-fiving Frisk, who was thrown into a fit of laughter, much like her character. Papyrus let out a frustrated yell before sighing and sitting down.

"And... what class are you...Snas?" MK asked, sheepishly and confusedly.

"level 5 short elven wizard with the powers of sleep and pun."

"Alright! Finally, last but not at all least..."

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"Hey, punk. I heard you had a bunny problem over here," the tall, armored fish person said calmly before screaming. "I'LL BEAT THE HELL OUT OF THAT BUNNY! NGGGAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

With that, the fish person suplexed a boulder that was just a little ways away. The Great Papyros watched in utter amazement.

"My name is Undyne!" Undyne's character continued, holding up the boulder with one hand. "I'm a level 5 barbarian with proficiency in awesomeness and kicking butt!"

"That's so cool, Undyne, but we have to-" the Great Papyros started.

"I can pick up your brother..." Undyne pondered as she picked up Snas, who couldn't care less. "And then CHUCK HIM AT THE NEAREST RABBIT!"

"That's great, Undyne, but this is no time for bunny business." Suddenly, the Great Papyros froze as he realized the accidental pun he created. His brother smirked from where he sat on Undyne's hand. Then, the Great Papyros put his hand against his head and shook his head in disappointment.

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"Alright," MK replied, clearly a bit more relaxed as she started her story. "Let's start. You all are in a dark forest surrounding the town of Gravi Teefal. The hobbit, Friskdo, had found a ring left to him from his uncle and had found a secret inscription describing where the evil mist of darkness was located. Unfortunately, monsters lurk every corner of these woods and help is needed, even for a DETERMINED and courageous hobbit. That is why he found three other great adventurers and this is where the story begins."

"Can I be voiced by Elijah Woods?" Frisk interrupted suddenly.

"Uhhh... sure."

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Mist coiled around the adventurers' legs. The darkness of the creepy forest completely unfazed them, however. The hobbit in front simply held a map and continued on the simple, barely-walked-on road. The Great Papyros stood shortly behind, somewhat cautious as he looked from tree to tree. Snas, who was right behind him, looked half-asleep as he walked on. Meanwhile, Undyne looked bored, itching for a battle to use her ferocious energy on.

"Ugh. When's the action? You promised me action!" Undyne yelled as she walked on at an agonizing pace.

"It's not so bad, Undyne! I can play my guitar-sword for you!" Papyros replied cheerfully.

"We have trouble," Friskdo responded with his new Elijah Woods voice.

"What do you mean, Friskdo?" Papyros asked, nervously.

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"I make a perception check!" Frisk yelled out as she rolled her 38-sided die. It landed on a 30. Immediately, MK flipped through her books, before looking back at Frisk.

"You see nothing but the path ahead," she replied.

"I make a persuasion check!" Frisk shouted as she rolled again. This time, it landed on 21. "I have a plus 13 so that means... I rolled a 34!"

"Wait! What was that for, Frisk?" Undyne asked in confusion and outrage.

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Friskdo put the back of his hand to his forehead dramatically as he turned to the party. "I sense darkness all around us. Corrupting us. Peril lies ahead. A dragon with a taste for humanoid blood waits for us in the cloud of the fog ahead," he said, adding dramatic flair to every word. "But I must continue, to save the darkness. Follow after me, if you dare."

Then, as if nothing happened, the hobbit walked ahead of them, leaving the others shocked.

"You're telling me you tried to persuade us there is a dragon ahead of us when there really isn't?" Undyne asked unhappily, breaking the fourth wall.

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"Undyne, your character thinks there is a dragon ahead of you. You keep on breaking the fourth wall," MK told Undyne, respectfully.

"Yeah, but why would you do that, Frisk?!" Undyne yelled, clearly betrayed.

Frisk didn't bat an eye. Instead, she had a coy smile. "I want to see how determined you guys are to be my friend."

"Wait. You're saying this is a friendship test?" Undyne asked, squinting her eyes as she watched Frisk carefully.

Frisk nodded.

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"I'm not failing a friendship test! NGGGAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Undyne's character yelled as she ran through the fog after the hobbit.

"Wait for me, Undyne!" Papyrus shouted, before he picked up his brother, held him under his arms, and ran after Undyne.

They didn't have to run far. In fact, Undyne almost tripped over Friskdo. However, they immediately found out what had happened. They had come face-to-face with a shadow dragon. The dragon growled, causing everyone to quake in their boots. Snas woke up and his eyes widened.

"woah, kid. you weren't joking..."

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"Role initiative!" MK yelled, making everyone role their 38-sided dice. "What did you get, Frisk?"

"4..." she replied, disappointedly.

"Papyrus?"

"18!"

"Sans?"

"15."

"Undyne?"

"14! NGAHHHH!"

"Alright! What will you do, Papyros?" MK asked.

"I will do what a bard always does!" Papyrus replied, happily.

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"I must sing!" Papyros yelled out as he pulled out his sword-guitar, getting prepared to play.

For the first time in a while, Snas looked terrified. "paps, no!" He pleaded.

"Snas, I can't fight it! I must sing!" Papyros replied, and before anyone else could respond, he began singing.

 _"And I say, 'NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH! NYEH HEH HEH!' I said 'NYEH! WHAT'S BONING ON?!"_ Papyros repeated this over and over again, rainbows surrounding him. Then, the rainbows attacked the dragon, causing it to growl in pain.

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"Snas! Your turn! Your brother is doing... something. Rainbows are going everywhere." MK explained.

"do i have the spell we were talking about?" Sans asked, cryptically.

MK winked. "What do you want to do?"

"i use it," Sans replied, happily.

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Snas looked over at his brother and cringed. Putting a hand over his face, he used his other hand to use his spell.

"gaster blaster," Snas said, as a giant dragon skull came into existence. Without any hesitance, the dragon skull fired a beam of blue light right at the dragon. The dragon roared in pain as the blaster hit its mark.

"I punch the dragon with my bare hands! NGAAAAHHHH!" Undyne narrated as she did just that. With the punch, however, the dragon dissipated into a dark fog. It was a suffocating fog that was killing everyone in the party.

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"I kiss the darkness," Frisk said before MK could ask what she was going to do.

"WHAAATTT?!" Undyne yelled out in outrage.

"The darkness is corrupting me. Therefore, I kiss the darkness, and I tell it..."

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"I love you, Darkness," Friskdo admitted after giving the dark fog a tender kiss. "You don't have to kill me, y'know. We can get married and live in a castle of darkness for the rest of our lives. All I know is that I don't want to be without you."

If dark fog had emotions, this fog would've been confused. Besides, everyone else was. Especially when Friskdo went onto one knee, held onto the dark fog's "hand", and pulled out a tiny box. He opened it and inside was the ring that was supposed to defeat the darkness.

"Darkness, will you marry me?"

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"What the actual-" Undyne began.

"Nyaw haw haw!" Papyrus cried as tears of joy came down from his eyes. "I love marriage proposals! I hope the darkness says yes!"

"But this is a terrible foe!" Undyne yelled. "You're not supposed to marry the darkness and become friends with it! When has that ever worked?!"

Frisk looked pointedly at Papyrus and Sans. Then she looked at Undyne. Then, she moved her head between the two until Undyne got the message.

"heh. you just got BONED," Sans chuckled, causing Undyne to give him a death stare.

"Ughhh! Sometimes, I really hate you, punk!" She groaned in defeat. In response, Frisk made a heart with her hands and blew a kiss towards Undyne.

"Al-right... Roll a persuasion..." MK responded, trying to stay calm as her adventure went out of control.

The die rolled out of Frisk's hands... It hit the table... and...

"NATURAL 38!" Frisk yelled out in triumph.

"WHAT?! HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?!" Undyne shouted, pounding the table with her fist.

"I hope they say yes!" Papyrus replied, excitedly.

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The dark fog collected in front of Friskdo. As it seemed to collect, it formed a strange being. Suddenly, in front of Friskdo was a person who neither looked male or female. They had short curly hair with blue eyes. They stared at Friskdo before smiling and taking the ring.

"I thought you'd never ask," they replied, putting the ring on their ring finger and admiring it.

"Come with me, my love," Friskdo said with charm. "Come with me and we could live on an island. You no longer have to be the darkness that terrorizes this land. I love you for the real you."

"Friskdo, my name is Dary. I was cursed to be a cloud of darkness until someone proposed to me. You have just made me the luckiest person alive!" The figure replied, happily.

"way to go, kid!" Snas encouraged from the side, his eyes gleaming with pride, both in and out of game.

"I love happy endings..." Papyros sighed as he wiped his eyes.

Undyne's mouth was open wide in shock. She continued to try and process the information, but there was always an error. Eventually, she groaned before joining in the celebration. That was how darkness was convinced to join the side of good. In the end, Friskdo lived a long happy life next to his spouse.

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"The end!" MK concluded, happy with the happy ending that had happened, despite all of the changes in the storyline.

"That was fun, MK!" Frisk replied, beaming at her friend.

"Really?" MK said, blushing.

"You did a great job, kid!" Undyne reassured, before messing up the hair on MK's human form. She laughed happily as she watched Papyrus wipe tears from his eyes and as Sans rubbed Frisk's hair playfully. Everything was perfect, and despite everything, MK hoped nothing would ever change...

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Frisk looked down at her photograph, smiling. It had been years since that fun day when they played Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons. She was in college now. She missed that time. The time when she could easily hang out with the people she loved. It was then that an idea came into her head. There, she called the number.

"Mettaton? It's me, Frisk..." Frisk said. "I know it's been a while, but did you say your show was going to Gravity Falls?"


	11. Mabel the Muse

**A/N So, I actually started writing this chapter before I finished the last chapter. Crazy, right? Well, they do happen at the same time chronologically, so it makes sense. Also, I think that before each chapter, I'm going to tell you guys a headcanon that isn't explicitly stated in the story but will explain the actions of the characters in the story.**

 **Important HC That Isn't Stated in the story of the Day:** _The skelebros are on the asexual and aromantic spectrum in terms of sexuality. Papyrus is purely asexual and aromantic. In other words, he doesn't know or feel sexual attraction, nor romantic attraction. He wants to be loved and when asked, he would want to find a partner, but he will never find one because he doesn't feel sexual or romantic attraction. Sans is a bit more in the center. He is either gray-aromantic (rarely feels romantic attraction) or demiromantic (feels romantic attraction towards people he already has an existing friendship with), your choice. His sexuality follows suit. He's either asexual (like his bro), gray-asexual (like gray aro, but with sexuality), or demisexual (same as demiromantic, but with sexuality). This explains why Sans likes Toriel romantically in the story, why Papyrus never felt the same way towards the protagonist after the date, and why Papyrus decided to adopt rather than marry and have kids._

 **Without further ado, Speak, Muse, of girls who wish to be karaoke stars...**

Thunder rumbled from the sky above, as did the code that supposedly made the storm. She knew better. This storm was a bad omen. She watched it carefully from the window next to her booth in the diner. The lightning never struck the ground. It only spread out across the clouds. Rain never fell, and yet it had turned a summer day into a dark and dreary day by only passing.

She never saw things the way normal people saw them. Because of her past condition, she didn't see a diner. She just saw code. Code being written as the Writer would see fit. So far, she had experienced two different writers. The first wrote her entire universe. She was created by this writer. The Writer that made the code now was different. However, this storm was not something written by any current or past writer.

The storm almost made the code shatter each time thunder sounded. The code would quake a while before returning to how it had been. It wasn't good. Something was making the code weak. If it were to get any weaker, something might enter. A virus, as it were. And the only viruses she could think of were demons.

"This is bad..." The girl in the poncho murmured as she continued to analyze the storm.

"It is certainly a nasty storm, sugar!" Turning around, the girl saw her waitress, with pancakes in her hands. "Don't worry. It will pass. I heard it will be heading towards Gravity Falls. Here ya go, sugar!"

Pancakes were set in front of the young girl before the cheerful waitress went to a different table in the diner. However, the waitress' words echoed in her head. I heard it will be heading towards Gravity Falls.

"That's what I'm afraid of..." the girl whispered to herself.

Of all the places this storm could go, of course it would choose Gravity Falls. The place where the code was already weak. Demons had entered there before, creating strange, chaotic creatures as they terrorized the world. Although the demons were contained, their masterpieces were all left at the place they entered into. Gravity Falls.

The girl took a bite of her pancakes, her red eyes appearing for a moment before being concealed by the poncho yet again. The storm was moving slowly, luckily. With that time, she could reach Gravity Falls and warn everyone, or, more specifically, people that could do something about it. She sighed. This would be hard to explain, but the danger was great enough. Once she explained, all would be revealed.

With any luck, she could outrun the oncoming storm.

* * *

"I look ridiculous," MK said upon looking at herself in the mirror. When her friends said they were going to change her look, they didn't say they would make her go through a full-blown makeover.

"You're right..." Candy replied regretfully as she put a belt with a yellow star clasp around MK's waist. "We need more sequins."

Grenda approached MK with black eyeliner as she put the finishing touches on the stars around MK's eyes. "Maybe we can give her hair a makeover," she added as she pulled the poncho's hood off of the young girl's head.

"Hey!" MK yelled in alarm as she pulled the hood back over her red hair with an embarrassed look on her face. "Don't mess with my hair!"

"Oh my gosh! Did you get a haircut?" Mabel asked as she pulled off MK's hood again to see that short hair had replaced the braids and ponytail style she had.

MK blushed. "M-my dumb si-brother cut my hair off while I was asleep..." she explained bashfully. "D-do you... like it?"

"Like it? I love it!" Mabel replied. "The only thing we need to change for the party is maybe if we mess it up a little like this..." Immediately, Mabel messed up MK's perfectly combed hair until the hair was fluffy and yet went into every direction like spikes.

MK, once again, looked in the mirror and her face became red. "I look even more ridiculous!"

"No you don't!" Mabel protested. "You look like a rockstar, ready for your debut at the Karaoke Competition at Town Hall!"

"Soon, you will have every boy in town after you," Candy commented with a reassuring smile.

MK sighed. "I wish..."

"What was that?" Mabel interrupted with a coy smile.

"Nothing!" MK replied, her face turning red. "I just wish someone actually did like me that way."

"But you're so sweet, MK!" Grenda reassured with a supporting grin. "And you sing like an angel!"

"And you play the ukulele," Candy added.

"In other words, I'm sure someone out there will want you to be their girlfriend," Mabel finished with a cheerful smile that lit up MK's face.

"Well then, let's give them a good show!" MK answered with a confident grin.

"That's the spirit!" Mabel cheered. "Let's go, MK and the Galaxies!"

"Wait, where are we going?" MK asked, her excitement and confidence proving to be short-lived.

"You'll have to find out!" Her companion replied cryptically. "This karaoke competition is going to have tons of improv, so we might as well practice!"

Before anyone could stop her, Mabel jumped out into the hallway with a bunch of glitter she had hidden away in her hands, causing the small sparkly pieces of paper to go flying. There was a small yelp that made MK giggle. Clearly, they had startled Dipper.

"Hello, everyone!" Mabel yelled, referring to Dipper as if he were an audience. "Today is the debut of MK AND THE GALAXIES!"

"That's our cue," MK whispered to her companions. "Let's somersault in like a boss!"

In agreement, the three friends somersaulted out the doorway. To the left and right of Mabel were Grenda and Candy. MK decided last minute to go through Mabel's legs and then stand up in a dramatic pose, with her hands on her hips with a confident look. Amazingly, Grenda and Candy made the pose more dramatic by kneeling down on one leg and putting out their arms to the side that didn't have MK standing beside them. Meanwhile, Mabel put her hands up in the air. Altogether, it made it look like MK was standing behind a giant explosion.

MK finally looked down at Dipper, who looked shocked by the sudden commotion. This made her feel less confident in her abilities as she grinned a little nervously.

"Guys, like, I don't think this will work," she started, trying to explain her dilemma. "I'm not the best singer, like, ever!"

"Stop being so modest!" Mabel reassured by putting an arm on MK's shoulder. "I heard you sing that song you made!"

MK blushed upon the mention of the forbidden song. She had written it a few days ago and now, she regretted singing it to her friends. "But that doesn't make me a good singer!" She countered, looking down at her feet.

"What the heck are you guys doing?" Dipper asked, interrupting the girl's conversation and reminding them of his presence.

"We are going to become the most famous karaoke group in the history of karaoke contests!" His sister exclaimed as she led her friends down the stairs towards her brother.

"And we're not coming back until we claim our prize!" Candy added with a confident expression.

"Or, until we get boyfriends!" Grenda replied with jazz hands, as Mabel and Candy squealed happily at the thought. All MK did was giggle slightly at the impossible thought of her getting a boyfriend. She would sooner win the contest than get a boyfriend. Then again...

"Wait. So, there's a karaoke competition today?" Dipper asked, looking to the girl group for answers.

"Yup," MK answered calmly compared to the other girls. "They claim I am a good dancer and singer, but I am neither."

"I'm sure you're fine," Dipper responded, putting his hand on MK's shoulder, causing her face to go red with blush that he didn't notice. Or maybe that was because she looked down at her feet and looked back up when she felt the blush leave her cheeks?

"I haven't seen you in a while," MK continued, trying to probe for any problems in his life. "What happened since the last time I talked to you?"

Dipper's face lit up even more than it had been before. He almost couldn't contain his excitement. "Well, you wouldn't believe it, but-"

"Sans is a skeleton!" Mabel interrupted, causing MK to gasp from the surprise. Immediately, the two girls behind Mabel and MK had eyes full of wonder and energy at the revelation Dipper's twin sister had revealed.

However, MK's ears blocked out her friends' reactions as she tried to figure out what to do. Her breathing became a bit heavy and her heart nearly jumped out of her chest with every beat. She knew this moment would come some day, but she didn't want to believe it would come now of all times. Her friends would look at her differently if they knew. She would no longer pass herself off as normal. Maybe her friends would leave her. Maybe-

Maybe she should just ask the obvious. "So... you're not freaked out or anything?" She asked, her head looking down at her feet in shame.

"I mean, it was kind of weird, but I trust Dunkle Sans," Dipper answered, causing part of MK's worries to rest. "Afterwards, he didn't seem any different."

"and i won't ever be different, kid," a lazy voice replied behind MK. Everyone spun around to see Dunkle Sans in his skeletal form. For MK, it had been years since she had seen the skeleton in his natural form before, and she found that she felt neutral about it, if not a little nervous. After a second, he turned back into his human form, but no human could forget what they saw. Candy and Grenda were astounded, even though they had been warned moments prior.

Mabel ran up and hugged her Dunkle, who had saved her life from Chara. MK couldn't help but smile as Sans hugged her back. It was nice to see that no barriers, including racial differences, could stop familial love. It was a reminder of what could happen if she were to reveal her secret. However, there was also a reminder as to why her secret should be kept.

"Hey, Sans," Dipper greeted with a friendly smile. "Did you just teleport out of your room?"

"i'm lazy, dipper. you should know that by now," Sans replied, winking while shrugging. Then, Mabel released her Dunkle from the hug, only to partially drag him down the stairs towards her friends.

Candy was the first to break from her shocked silence. "Woah! You are the first monster I know! That's so cool!"

Sans took a glance at MK. It was a questioning glance, wondering if MK preferred to keep her secret just that. A secret. Before she could respond, she must've given off a vibe that told Sans not to mention the secret she had. He shrugged so subtly that no one noticed before answering.

"i actually doubt that, kid," Sans replied, trying to refer to something without telling it directly. "monsters are all around this town. you could've met one and never known it."

"Then how can you tell if you do meet one?" Grenda asked, turning to Sans for the answer. However, Dipper was more prepared.

"Wait. I can answer that, Dunkle Sans," Dipper said before flipping through the pages of a book. MK waited in suspense, wondering what to do to keep her secret. It was then that Dipper read from his book.

"'Monster SOULS are the most useful way to detect a monster's presence. While monsters can't summon their SOULS out of their bodies, their SOUL still establishes their existence in other ways, like how someone could tell a person's preference and personality just by looking at their residence. Magic is the easiest way to tell, as humans can't do complicated magic without a monster's help. However, since a magical disguise uses all their magic, this is also the hardest to spot.'"

"'The second way to tell is called a SOUL echo. Believe it or not, monster SOULS are always emitting magical energy, whether it is actually used or not. Because of this, the magic acts like an echo that helps one detect the presence of a magical creature, presumably monsters, if one knows what to "listen" for. This echo is able to be detected by one's SOUL, so, to detect an echo, you need to close your eyes and focus on your senses. To hear a SOUL echo is a surreal experience. If you truly hear one, you should hear the equivalent of a "song", as it were. Some monsters even have a unique echo, a "theme song" or motif as it were. Most monsters, however, have a single echo they use.'" Dipper finished reading.

"So, according to this, you hear a type of song if you try to detect an echo?" Dipper asked, looking to Sans for any confirmation. Mabel shrugged before looking to Sans as well. Sans shrugged in response to both of them.

"you can try, if you want," Sans answered, combing his hands through his shock white hair. MK looked at Sans pleadingly before trying her best to block her echo. Maybe there was a way to stop it. Maybe then, no one would know...

After a while, Dipper opened up his eyes in amazement. "I can still hear it..."

"yeah. frisk says that once you hear it, you can't not hear it." Suddenly, everyone else tried. MK tried her hardest to, once again, mask her echo. It seemed she was successful when the girls looked to Sans, rather than her. Sans gave a wink to MK, subtly.

"Welp, that was fun, but shouldn't we get going? We don't want to be late!" MK interrupted, eager to find anything to get off the topic of "monsters" and "how to identify a monster".

"Oh right!" Mabel replied, before turning to Dipper, expectantly. "C'mon, Bro-Bro! You should come!"

"Uh. No thanks," Dipper responded, causing MK's heart to sink, though she didn't show it. "I have to, y'know." He motioned to the book in his hands.

Mabel sighed in disappointment. "Alright, but you have to hang out with us one day, okay?"

"I know. I will when-" A piece of paper fluttered to the ground from the book Dipper was holding. All watched in silence as Dipper picked it up and looked over it. Then, he looked up in confusion. "What's this?"

Sans gave a surprised look. It seemed to say, "Don't you remember?" Now, everyone was confused. "dipper, that's the map you got from one of your adventures. remember the crazy ol' man?"

"Crazy... old... man?" Dipper repeated, clearly not remembering anything. He looked to the girls, who all shrugged at once. Sans sighed upon seeing how puzzled everyone was.

"welp, maybe i dreamed it up. hasn't been the first time i've... uh... experienced things that didn't actually happen. anyways, you can keep the map. i don't mind," Sans said, before turning to the girls before him. "well, let's get going to the car. ya don't want me to get TIREd!"

"Yeah! Yo, let's go, team!" MK yelled out.

"Go Galaxies!" The other girls cheered before following Sans and MK to the car out front, leaving Dipper behind to look at the strange map.

* * *

MK strummed her ukulele quietly in the background of excited conversation in the car. She had to get the chords right, if she and her team were going to win the no instrumental music version of the competition. Luckily, it was at the end of the competition, which meant she had all the time in the world to find the right chords.

Mabel had taken notice of her companion's strumming almost immediately, unbeknownst to MK. "Hey, Mikay! How are you doing with our finale?"

Without any other prompting, she started strumming the chords of the chorus while humming along, letting her heavenly voice flow without any words. It was truly special.

When she finished, everyone clapped, except for Sans, who had to keep both of his hands on the steering wheel.

"We're gonna win this!" Mabel cheered.

"I can't wait until we each sing solo!" Grenda answered happily as she put her hands on her cheeks.

"I can't wait until the competitions!" Candy replied, smiling.

"Mikay, you are amazing on the ukulele, girl!" Mabel complimented as she softly punched MK.

"And your singing will be like a million angels," Candy added.

"You deserve an award!" Grenda responded.

"i think all of you guys deserve awards," Sans said from the front seat of the car. "i'm not good at singing. people would pay me to stop singing!"

"It can't be that bad, Dunkle Sans," Mabel reassured comfortingly.

"If monsters have magic, couldn't you make yourself sound better?" Candy asked curiously.

"nah, kid. it's only if your soul has that type of personality. monster magic mirrors a monster's personality, you know," he answered in his usual, lazy tone of voice. "unfortunately, my soul and i ain't into singing."

"That's fine, Dunkle Sans! You're better at plenty of other things, like saving out skins!" Mabel replied, giggling as her friend joined in. Sans merely smiled happily before stopping in front of the city hall.

"alrighty, kids. this is your stop," Sans said, clearly full of pride.

"Will you come and watch us?" Mabel asked as the rest of her friends exited the car.

"i would, kid, but something just came up that i have to take care of. besides, i know you can win this. if you can win a golfing tournament despite the warlock shenanigans, then you can do anything," Sans replied, ambiguously. Mabel merely looked at him in confusion before he sighed in understanding. "good luck, baby bones. i'm rooting for you."

"Love you too! I'll walk home, by the way!" Mabel explained, before closing the door of the car and running after her friends into city hall.

The spacious interior of city hall was filled with a stage, lighting, and a large crowd. It was darkly lit and as they entered, a group was finishing up their love ballad. However, Mabel and rest were amazed at the atmosphere and the amount of people present.

"No way! Are you kidding me? This place is amazing!" Mabel shouted energetically.

"I think we have to sign in behind the red curtain," MK pointed out before heading there. The Galaxies followed closely behind, excited to rock the crowd. Upon going through the red curtain, they were officially backstage. In front of them was a table and a woman with a clipboard behind it, filling out information.

"Hi. We're here to compete," MK said, nervously.

"And what's your team name?" The woman asked, kindly as she looked through her list of names.

"We're MK and the Galaxies!" Everyone but MK yelled out, causing MK to jump with a start.

The woman giggled before checking off their name. "Alright, MK and the Galaxies! You will be performing after this song!"

"Alright! Let's rock out!" Grenda shouted enthusiastically as the whole group went behind the table and into the place that would lead to the stage.

"Oh. I'm so nervous," Candy said with a small giggle.

"I hate to admit it, but I am too," Grenda replied, somewhat unhappily.

"Ditto," MK responded, humorlessly.

"Girls, we've got this! C'mon! Let's do a group huddle," Mabel reassured as her friends huddled around her.

"Alright, girls," Mabel whispered in their group huddle. "This is it. All of our training has come to this. There's no way we can't win. Let's just go out there and sing until the crowd dies from screaming!"

"Yes!" Grenda replied.

"An oddly grotesque yet compelling metaphor! I feel inspired!" Candy answered.

"Let's do this!" MK cheered.

"MK and the Galaxies," a woman said happily with a clipboard in hand. "It's your turn to shine!"

"Out to the stage!" MK ordered as the girl's cheered.

* * *

The small crowd waited in the darkness, wondering what was to come. The last few karaoke groups were fine, but it didn't make them cheer. That's when they heard the start of the song. It started with the sound of a tambourine. For a while, the stage was dark, until a gong sounded and the many spotlights lit up to show the singers. MK was in front with Mabel to the right of her. Behind them and to the far left was Candy and behind them to the far right was Grenda. Grenda and Candy were both in an Egyptian pose. They were turned to the side with their arms in the Egyptian position, making both of them symmetrical.

Mabel and MK were different. MK held her microphone between her hands while Mabel had her hands together in front of her mouth. Finally, the first verse began.

 _"All the old paintings on the tomb, they do the sand dance, don't you know,"_ MK sang loudly, yet lyrically. _"If they move to quick,"_ she continued before Grenda and Candy turned their faces, while still keeping their positions, towards the audience and their microphones and sang, _"Oh whey oh!"_ with MK before going back into their previous positions.

 _"They're falling down like a domino. All the bazaar men by the Nile, they got the money on a bet. Gold crocodiles"_ MK sang before Candy and Grenda sang with her the same part again. _"Oh whey oh! They snap their teeth on your cigarette."_

 _"Foreign types with the hookah pipes say,"_ MK continued before all the other singers joined her in singing _"Ay oh whey oh, ay oh whey oh!"_

 _"Walk like an Egyptian,"_ MK said alone, before a guitar played, immediately making the girls go into motion. MK spun around in a circle as she moved towards Mabel. Mabel was quick to spin as well. All at once, MK slid on the floor, giving Mabel enough of an advantage to jump over her. The crowd cheered at the creative way of changing places. While that was going on, Candy and Grenda put their hands to their sides before bringing them together above their head and moving it from side to side. Once the guitar solo reached its conclusion, Candy and Grenda put their hands together in front of their mouths while MK made it look like she was walking like an Egyptian. Now, it was Mabel's turn.

 _"Blond waitresses take their trays. They spin around and they cross the floor. They've got the moves!"_ Mabel sang, before, once again, Candy and Grenda sang _"Oh whey oh!"_

 _"You drop your drink and they give you more. All the school kids so sick of books. They like the punk and the metal band. When the buzzer rings!"_

 _"Oh whey oh!"_

 _"They're walking like an Egyptian. All the kids in the marketplace say!"_

 _"Ay oh whey oh, ay oh whey oh!"_ All the girls joined in, before Mabel sang alone.

 _"Walk like an Egyptian."_ The guitar solo came once again, but longer than before. However, the girls didn't waste time. Moving their microphone stands up above their heads, Candy and Grenda put them right beside Mabel and MK's microphones. Soon, all of them were doing the Egyptian, moving their bodies so that they would face one side, and then another. After a while of doing that, they put their hands together as Candy took over the singing.

 _"Slide your feet up the street bend your back. Shift your arm then you pull it back. Life is hard you know,"_ Candy sang before the backup singers sang, _"Oh whey oh!"_

 _"So strike a pose on a Cadillac,"_ Candy finished, before motioning to Grenda, who took over the next verse.

 _"If you want to find all the cops, they're hanging out in the donut shop. They sing and dance,"_ Grenda continued. _"Oh whey oh! Spin the clubs cruise down the block!"_

 _"All the Japanese with their yen. The party boys call the Kremlin, and the Chinese know,"_ Candy sang. _"Oh whey oh! They walk the line like Egyptian"_

 _"All the cops in the donut shop say,"_ Candy and Grenda sang together before the back up singers joined in. _"Ay oh whey oh, ay oh whey oh!"_

Then, Mabel sang, _"Walk like an Egyptian."_

 _"Walk like an Egyptian,"_ MK finished.

The crowd roared with applause as the girls panted from the amount of singing and exercise they put into their performances. However, smiles and grins quickly came to the girls' faces when they realized that they had just inspired the crowd. After taking in the attention, the girls went back behind the curtain.

"They liked us! They actually liked us!" MK repeated, seemingly surprised by this fact.

"I have never dealt with this much publicity in my entire life," Candy responded, a grin on her face.

"We did a great job, girls!" Mabel exclaimed, proud of everyone of her friends.

"We were awesome! There is no way of beating us now!" Grenda replied.

"I would beg to differ," a voice stated from behind the group. The four best friends turned to face their competitor.

In front of them was the most spoiled girl in Gravity Falls: Pacifica Northwest. It was hard to go anywhere without hearing about the girl who lived with her rich family. The girl flicked her platinum blonde hair out of her eyes as she approached the Galaxies with her own gaggle of three girls.

"Well, if it isn't the nerd team," Pacifica commented, causing the girls behind her to laugh. "Lizard girl, Glasses girl, and Crazy girl. They're just your type of people, Monster girl!"

MK looked down at her feet, clearly hurt by the insult. However, Mabel wasn't having it.

"Leave us alone, Pacifica!" Mabel defended. "At least we're more interesting than your group. I mean, c'mon! What cool nicknames do I have for you guys? Blondie, Brunette, and Makeup girl?" She said, pointing at the girls behind Pacifica.

"I'll have you know my makeup is fashionable," Makeup girl replied, before adding more makeup under her eyes.

"They're your type of people, Spoiled Brat!" Mabel responded.

"Excuse me? Take that back!" Pacifica countered.

"Can't, because if I do, then I'm not telling the truth."

"I'll make you pay for this!" Pacifica said, clearly indignant. "I will win the competition. Just you watch."

"Yeah, well, we'll see how that goes," Mabel replied, rolling her eyes.

"Pacifica and the No-Names? You're on!" ordered the organizer.

"My destiny is calling. I hope you're ready to be, like, crushed," Pacifica responded with a smile before leaving with her friends.

"I can't believe you talked back to Pacifica like that," Candy said in awe.

"I couldn't let her insult you guys! You're the best friends I've ever had," Mabel comforted.

"Thanks, Mabel," MK replied, gratefully.

"Yeah! You showed her!" Grenda exclaimed.

"Let's go watch how badly Pacifica flunks out," Mabel suggested, confidently.

"Agreed," Candy said. Then, together, they went to watch from behind the red curtain.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was dark in the room as Pacifica and her three girls got into place. The music started with humming. Spotlights shined down on the four of them. Blondie and Brunette were on the farther edges while Makeup was behind Pacifica. Blondie, Brunette, and Makeup hummed a tune as Pacifica started singing.

 _"Will you hold the line when every one of them has given up and given in? Tell me in this house of mine. Nothing ever comes without a consequence or cost. Tell me will the stars align? Will Heaven step in? Will it save us from sin? Will it? 'Cause this house of mine stands strong."_

A guitar came in, hushing the other girls as Pacifica's spotlight flared a pink color, while there's faded into nothingness. Her voice became carried by the song. _"That's the price you pay! Leave behind your heart and cast away. Just another product of today. Rather be the hunter than the prey..."_

Suddenly, the girls in the darkness sang along with her, adding power to Pacifica's words. _"When you're standing on the edge, face-up, 'cause you're a natural!"_ With that, lights went everywhere, colors streaking in every which way, filling the crowd with energy as the girls sang together.

 _"A beating heart of stone! You've gotta be so cold to make it in this world! Yeah, you're a natural! Living your life cutthroat! You've gotta be so cold! Yeah, you're a natural!"_ At the end of the chorus, the lights dimmed down again, as Pacifica sang the the next verse by herself again.

 _"Will somebody let me see the light within the dark trees shadowing? What's happenin'? Lookin' through the glass find the wrong within the past knowin'. Oh, we are the youth. Cut until it bleeds inside a world without the peace, face it. A bit of the truth, the truth..."_

 _"That's the price you pay!"_ Her girls joined in, taking the crowd by storm as they jumped beside their leader so they were in a straight line. " _Leave behind your heart and cast away. Just another product of today. Rather be the hunter than the prey when you're standing on the edge, face-up, 'cause you're a natural!"_

Once again, the crowd went wild as lights turned into bright colors as the girls on stage did random hopping to the beat. _"A beating heart of stone! You've gotta be so cold to make it in this world! Yeah, you're a natural! Living your life cutthroat! You've gotta be so cold! Yeah, you're a natural!"_

As before, Pacifica sang the next part alone, but the colors didn't die. Instead, the lights were still with no pulse going through them. They just shined like torches as her voice went hauntingly through the crowd. _"Deep inside me, I'm fading to black. I'm fading. Took an oath by the blood of my hand. Won't break it. I can taste it. The end is upon us, I swear. Gonna make it. I'm gonna make it!"_

 _"Natural! A beating heart of stone! You've gotta be so cold to make it in this world! Yeah, you're a natural! Living your life cutthroat! You've gotta be so cold! Yeah, you're a natural!"_

 _"Natural! Yeah, you're a natural!"_

MK and the Galaxies were speechless. Pacifica's performance was great, tough that thought came begrudgingly. The crowd cheered and cried out Pacifica's name over and over. She smiled and waved with her perfect grin, before turning to the Galaxies with a sly and cocky grin. On the scoreboard across the way, it was clear Pacifica's group was in first place with 50 points, while MK and the Galaxies were in second place with 45 points.

"We have to up our game, guys!" Mabel said when they entered the backstage area again. "Candy, Grenda. Do you think you can take down the Blonde Menace?"

"We can and we must!" The two girls replied in unison.

"Great! You guys will do great on your duet! Now get ready!" Mabel encouraged, pushing the girls to the makeup room for further touch ups. Then, she turned to MK. MK seemed a little less than confident. All the confidence she had gained from their opening song was gone.

"How am I supposed to compete with that?" She muttered dejectedly. "I've bitten off more than I can chew."

"What?! No! MK, you'll do great! You've been practicing your ukulele for weeks! You can do it. While everyone's going, you can practice some more!" Mabel suggested.

"Ok..." MK replied, unsure but willing. With that, she was off to the makeup rooms.

Now, Mabel was all alone when Pacifica came through. "Soooo... what now, Galaxy girl?" Pacifica started with a smirk. "I've, like, beaten you."

"No. Just wait until Candy and Grenda do their duet!" Mabel responded, still confident in their abilities.

"Yeah!" Candy yelled as she rushed back into the backstage area along with Grenda.

"We're gonna beat you up!" Grenda replied, making a fist with her hand, before hiding it suspiciously. "I mean, we're gonna beat you!"

"Well, like, good luck!" Pacifica said with a laugh, before snapping her fingers, causing Brunette to come forward. "You're going to have to deal with her, first."

"That'll be way easier!" Candy shouted.

With that, the two confident girls went onto the darkly lit stage. Once the spotlights shined on them, Grenda and Candy stood together as the music started. However, once it was time for them to sing, Grenda sang the first verse alone.

 _"There's a place we know what's cold enough won't grow. We have seen the dark and the dark took its toll and the journey waits for no one if no one breaks the mold and our hearts are stronger than we know,"_ Grenda sang before Candy joined in by humming the tune. Then, they both sang together.

 _"That you and I could learn to love again after all this time. Maybe that is how I knew you were the one. That you could still believe in me again and after all our trials. Maybe that is how I knew you were the one."_

Next, Candy sang the second verse on her own. _"To awake I know we made it through the storm and someone saves their sweet embrace for you and you alone."_

Once again, the two girls hummed the tune together before singing the chorus together. _"That you and I could learn to love again after all this time. Maybe that is how I knew you were the one. That you could still believe in me again and after all our trials. Maybe that is how I knew you were the one."_

The two girls danced together, fluidly and energetically as the music continued. The crowd cheered and danced in response, feeding off of the energy of the song. Soon, Candy and Grenda stood beside their microphones again as they sang together, holding hands.

 _"We remember to our souls in the shadow. In the shadows. That is how I knew you were the one and that is how I knew you were the one."_ As the song faded out, the crowd cheered happily as the two girls bowed and beamed proudly. Though they didn't dance much or have much choreography, their voices and the song made the crowd happy and it made them have pride in their work.

Grenda and Candy walked up the Mabel.

"You two did great!" Mabel exclaimed happily. "We'll win for sure!"

"Yeah! Let's see what these girls try!" Grenda replied with confidence.

* * *

Things were not going well anymore. Maybe it was because Pacifica's group had more girls. Maybe it was because they chose songs like "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun", "Pity Party", and "Carousel". By now, Mabel had to take a break to calm down her nerves. She went to the bathroom quickly.

Mabel looked into the mirror with worry. "We're being creamed by that stupid Pacifica Northwest!" she exclaimed in outrage. "How am I supposed to sing next when Candy and Grenda couldn't beat that jerk?"

She sighed. "I guess I'll just have to hope..." With that, Mabel exited the bathroom, wondering if there was even a chance she could sing better than the Pacifica group.

That's when she heard it. It sounded like whimpering from a room backstage. In curiosity, Mabel followed the noise, until she reached the room and looked within carefully. There, she saw Pacifica Northwest, looking down on a girl. The girl wasn't one of her lackeys. Rather, it was a slender girl with black hair and brown eyes. She seemed to try and hide in the corner, but Pacifica encountered her anyways. The girl hummed a melancholy tune as her fearful eyes met Pacifica's.

"-You're useless, Shyren," Pacifica exclaimed in outrage when Mabel looked inside. "You're supposed to help me win."

When the girl, Shyren, spoke, her voice was a murmur, singing ever word as it's own tune. _"But you are winning~,"_ she sang softly.

"Yeah. By a hair! You're supposed to help me win by a lot more than by a hair! Mabel and her precious Galaxies are still on my tail," Pacifica countered, grumbling at the previous fact.

 _"I am trying~ my hardest,"_ Shyren cried out unhappily.

"Not hard enough, clearly," she replied. "Or maybe you would prefer people to know that you're a creep. I'm a Northwest! They would believe me if I said you were a monster."

 _"I mean no harm~! I am the only one of my kind~! The only monster in this world~. Please don't tell anyone,"_ Shyren pleaded, clearly lying through her teeth to protect all monsters.

"I will not tell if you make me sing better using your 'powers'. You're lucky I was kind enough not to tell anybody after I bumped into you in that alley," Pacifica said with a sneer. "I have to go now. Don't fail me."

Mabel ducked out of the way of the door and hid beneath a conveniently-placed table near the entrance. Pacifica walked passed, leaving Shyren alone in the room. Once the coast was clear, Mabel knew what she wanted to do. It was unfair that Pacifica would blackmail a monster into making her sound better. She had to save Shyren and protect her from Pacifica's bratty impulses.

Mabel entered the room, immediately causing Shyren to gasp and head towards a corner to hide. Unfortunately, even when Shyren doesn't want to be encountered, people often encounter her anyway, and the same was true today. Mabel closed the door behind her and approached the shy monster. Cautiously, she put her arm around Shyren, making her become more comforted.

"Are you okay, Shyren?" Mabel asked, worriedly.

 _"I would be lying~ if I said I was,"_ Shyren replied, honestly.

"My name is Mabel Pines. I'm related to Sans and Frisk," she explained, hoping this would make Shyren trust her, since those two names were important in the monster world, according to Dipper. The name of a monster and the name of Frisk were always helpful in establishing trust with monsters, and it seemed to work.

 _"You're related to Frisk~?"_ The monster asked, calming down.

"I know everything about your kind. I'm sorry that Pacifica caught you. She's a rotten person."

 _"But there is no way to stop~. I have to continue working with her~."_ Shyren explained in despair.

"Maybe we can help each other out..." Mabel began, causing the monster to turn and face her. "Maybe, during my group's performances, you can make my friends and I sound good and hide in the rafters, so that Pacifica can't punish you. Then, I could meet you back here in between performances. After that, I could take you someplace safe."

 _"There is no place safe for me~. I have no home and I am not free~"_ Shyren murmured unhappily.

"How about I take you to my Dunkle Sans' house? You can wait out the rumors there. We can take care of you!" Mabel proposed, ready to try out her new plan.

Shyren thought through the plan before smiling softly. _"That plan sounds great~. I'll make you sing beautiful and then hide~."_

"Alright! Go to the rafters. I'm about to perform in a bit," Mabel replied happily.

 _"One song and then I'm free~?"_ Shyren sang, still a bit unsure.

"Promise!" Mabel answered, winking before going out to the backstage behind the stage.

"Hey," MK said, scaring Mabel a bit. "I was thinking, maybe I should sing next. I mean, you were a little nervous earlier and I was like 'Yo! It's not like my song could make it any worse'."

"N-no!" Mabel stammered, startling MK a little. "You don't have to worry about it! I've got this in the bag and I know that I- we can beat Pacifica!"

"Oh..." MK muttered, looking down at her feet dejectedly. "Ok... I mean, it's not like I... wanted to or anything, or thought that I would actually sound good."

"No! MK! That's not what I-"

"Mabel Pines? You're on!" The lady shouted, trying to make sure everyone was punctual.

Mabel looked at MK with regret, but she was unable to voice it at that moment. She had to perform. "I-I've gotta go. Y'know, perform."

"Yeah..." MK replied glumly as Mabel ran off to go onstage. "Good luck..."

The stage started dark and silent as the crowd waited in anticipation. Mabel walked out on stage, though the audience didn't see her. She looked to the rafter and indeed, saw the monster in her monster form. Shyren certainly looked odd. Her bottom half of her body looked like that of a mermaid, while her head seemed to float over it in the shape of a fish. However, the monster's hands glowed with magic and immediately, Mabel motioned for the music.

As the song started, the light fell on Mabel, her foot stopping dramatically to the beat as she sang. _"Oh don't you dare look back. Just keep your eyes on me. I said, 'you're holding back.' She said, 'shut up and dance with me!' This woman is my destiny! She said, 'Oooohh, shut up and dance with me!"_

The other spotlights blared around her as color flashed with the beat. However, Mabel couldn't help but feel confident in her ability to sing. No. It was more than confidence. It was power. Just then, her voice carried like a professional singer, and it all was because of Shyren.

 _"We were victims of the night. A chemical, physical, kryptonite! Helpless to the bass and the fading light. I knew we're bound to get together. Bound to get together!"_ As energy enveloped her voice, Mabel let go of all of her worries as she closed her eyes and sang to the heavens.

 _"She took my arm. I don't know how it happened! We took the floor. She said!"_ Mabel looked down at the crowd, catching eye contact with each and every person in the front row. _"'Oh don't you dare look back. Just keep your eyes on me!' I said, 'You're holding back.' She said, 'Shut up and dance with me!' This woman is my destiny! She said, 'Oooohhh! Shut up and dance with me!"_

 _"A backless dress and some beat up sneaks. My discotheque Juliet, teenage dream! I felt it in my chest as she looked at me,"_ Mabel sang as she put a hand over her heart. _"I knew we're bound to be together! Bound to be together!"_

 _"She took my arm. I don't know how it happened! We took the floor. She said! 'Oh don't you dare look back. Just keep your eyes on me.' I said, 'You're holding back.' She said, 'Shut up and dance with me! This woman is my destiny! She said, 'Oooohhh! Shut up and dance with me!"_

The music built up until Mabel, with the combined power of Shyren and her own energy, cried out, _"AW C'MON GIRL!"_

The crowd burst with wild applause as they encouraged Mabel and fed off of her energy. Mabel spun in place, occasionally, sliding down to do the splits, a feat she had learned to do for this performance. With these, the audience continued to cheer as the guitar solo came to a close and Mabel sang some more.

 _"Deep in her eyes, I think I see a future. I realize this is my last chance! She took my arm. I don't know how it happened! We took the floor. She said!"_ Mabel paused, stomping one of her feet loudly to the beat as she lowered her head, the crowd clapping with her feet. She lifted her head a bit as she sang softer than she did for the rest of the song.

 _"'Oh don't you dare look back. Just keep your eyes on me.' I said, 'You're holding back.' She said, 'Shut up and dance with me.' This woman is my destiny. She said, 'Oooohhh!'"_ The music stopped as Mabel, and the rest of the audience, shouted the last part. _"SHUT UP AND DANCE!"_

 _"'Oh don't you dare look back! Just keep your eyes on me!' I said, 'You're holding back!' She said, 'Shut up and dance with me!' This woman is my destiny! She said, 'Oooohhh! Shut up and dance with me!'"_

With that, the music continued to play, occasionally allowing Mabel to say, _"'Oooohhh! Shut up and dance with me!'"_ Then, the song ended. The audience was silent for a bit as Mabel caught her breath, before everyone applauded. She smiled as the cheers came in wave after wave, each one washing her with a feeling of pride. Looking up at the rafters, she grinned and put a thumbs up to her hidden companion. As far as the audience knew, she was giving a thumbs up to them.

Then, she bowed and went back stage. There, Grenda and Candy were quick to flock to Mabel's side.

"You did an amazing job, Mabel!" Candy cheered, hugging Mabel happily.

"Yeah! You should become a pop star!" Grenda agreed with a giant smile. "We're going to win for sure!"

"Awwww... Thanks, guys!" Mabel replied, bashfully, before realizing that they were missing their leader. She frowned. "Where's MK?"

Grenda and Candy frowned too. "We, uh... can't find her," Candy responded.

"What?!" Mabel gasped, trying to process the words she just heard.

"Yeah. She just disappeared midway through your performance. We tried to find her, but..." Grenda couldn't complete her sentence. It was pretty clear that MK didn't want to be found. However, Mabel became very panicky.

"Then who's going to do her song? She has to sing, otherwise we'll lose!" She replied.

"Well, maybe you could sing her song!" Grenda said suddenly, a new smile replacing her frown.

"Yeah! You can sing like an angel!" Candy agreed, smiling.

Mabel stood in stunned silence. What could she do? She had promised Shyren that she would bring her to the Mystery Shack after Mabel's song. If Mabel sang MK's song without her help, they were sure to lose, but if she asked Shyren, that would be breaking their promise. In the end, it came down to one decision. Maybe Shyren would understand how desperate they were to win. That was the only way, unless they managed to find MK. Unfortunately, MK was the best at hide and seek. Mabel had witnessed it firsthand.

Mabel took in a deep breath. "The show must go on," she murmured. "I'll sing MK's song."

"Sweet!" Candy exclaimed.

"That's super Grenda of you!" Grenda replied, not making any sense.

"...So far, MK and the Galaxies and Pacifica and the No-Names are tied for first!" The woman with the clipboard said in front of the audience, causing people to cheer at the suspense. "Whoever wins this next song wins the karaoke competition! Wish these girls luck!"

"We've got this in the bag!" Grenda responded, cheering for their own group.

"With Mabel on our side, how can we lose?" Candy reasoned happily.

Mabel laughed nervously, though none of the girls noticed. "I-I have to go! I need to... um... practice! I need to practice in the back rooms! See you guys later!"

Without waiting for the girls' responses, she left for the backrooms. When she closed the door, she sighed in relief until she noticed the slender girl with black hair in the room. She smiled softly, although it seemed the monster always looked sickly in human form.

 _"Have you come to bring me home~? I have helped you win~. Can I please go to your home~?"_ Shyren sang softly, her haunting melody making Mabel feel guilty for asking the distraught monster one more favor.

"Uhmmm... yeah... About that, Shyren..." Mabel stammered, unable to put her problems into words. "You see, one of our girls is missing, and I'm going to be singing her song."

 _"Singing is good~. It helps your SOUL~,"_ Shyren replied, oblivious as to what Mabel was implying.

"Yeah... It sure is... Listen, is it too much to ask if you can help me, y'know, sing again?"

The monster's eyes dimmed as she tried to think about it. _"Why do you need to~? I've made you win~."_

"Actually, we're only tied with Pacifica. I just am not very good at singing MK's song. I'm just asking it-"

 _"You mean your victory is on me~?"_ Shyren asked, starting to sound anxious and stressed.

"No! No! Shyren, you did great last time! I'm sure we don't have to do much to beat-" Mabel said, trying to calm down the monster. However, that didn't work.

 _"What if my magic fails~? What if Pacifica's better than me~?"_

"That's ridiculous! Pacifica can't sing like-"

 _"It's all up to me~! Don't break, Shyren~! Don't break~! You'll blow it~!"_ Suddenly, tears streamed down the girl's cheeks as suddenly, she got up wicked fast. This time, when she spoke, her voice no longer was singsongy. Rather, she was wailing. _"I can't do it!"_

With that, Shyren ran out the door. "Shyren, wait!" Mabel shouted, before chasing after the monster. In the backstage area, contestants and competitors stared as the raven-haired girl weaved between them. Occasionally, when she bumped into one, she would wail before turning away, trying to find a way to escape. Mabel followed close behind, but always out of reach.

Suddenly, Shyren darted out of the red curtain, unknowingly going out onto the stage. Pacifica was singing as Shyren did. However, the entire crowd stared at the whimpering girl, rather than at Pacifica. _"I came in like a wrecking ball! I never... hit... so..._ hard?" Pacifica stuttered as she saw Shyren freeze and look at all the faces looking at her.

The music stopped as Mabel came through the red curtain. She paused upon seeing the scene. Shyren was getting more stressed by the minute, the eyes watching her making her nervous. Pacifica glared at both Shyren and Mabel, who both ruined her performance. From our behind the curtains, Grenda and Candy looked out in curiosity, wondering why Mabel would run after the strange girl. However, before anyone could say a word, Shyren finally broke down. With a deep breath, the monster let out the loudest wail that Mabel had ever heard. In fact, it wasn't just a wail. It was a deafening screech. The sound of a siren.

Everyone closed their eyes and put their hands to their ears to muffle the noise. Mabel peeked amid the pain in her ears to notice that Shyren was now in her monster form, drawing upon her magic, rather than just her voice. It should've been clear the moment the wail became a loud scream. However, barely anyone in the audience would've noticed, since the pain caused them to shut their eyes. The people that could see it were the people who dared the look. Pacifica did and so did Grenda and Candy.

This was all Mabel's fault. If only she hadn't pushed MK away, maybe then she wouldn't have hidden herself away. Maybe then, Mabel wouldn't have asked for a favor too many from Shyren. All Mabel wanted was to have a good time at the karaoke competition, but their obsession with winning led them to this. This was all their fault, and there was no way to resolve this.

Suddenly, she saw a form coming out from behind the curtains. Through her tears formed from the pain, Mabel was hardly able to tell who it was just through sight, but for some weird reason, she could hear the person's voice, loud and clear despite the screaming of Shyren. It was odd. Maybe it was just her ears playing a trick on her, but she knew who was sing it and who was strumming her ukulele so softly and yet was able to break the wail.

 _"Oh, Saturday Sun. I met someone, out on the West Coast. I gotta go back. I can't let this go. Oh, Saturday Sun. I met someone. Don't care what it costs. No ray of sunlight's ever lost!"_ When the last word was sung, the music became louder and with that, the wail was driven back. For the first time, Mabel was actually able to see clearly, though she didn't need to.

In front of her, with her eyes was closed, was MK, singing and strumming her ukulele with the music. Mabel turned beside her to where Shyren had been. There, Shyren was speechless, now in her human form and no longer screaming. Instead, she seemed to be listening to MK. Mabel turned back to MK with a smile as MK started the next verse, not even looking.

 _"So tired of sleepin' alone. So tired of eatin' alone. I need to ask him what's goin' on? Are we goin' strong?"_ Knowing what was ahead, Mabel turned to see the audience was finally recovering, bewitched by MK's music. Immediately, Mabel ran to where Grenda and Candy were behind the curtain and whispered to them as MK continued. _"I felt like resting my head. His shoulder was the perfect height. We fit so right, so what's goin' on? 'Cause I've been undone!"_

When MK finally opened her eyes, she didn't look at the audience. Rather, she looked to sky, as if she had felt the same emotions as the writer of the song. _"The long drive, the coastline, lookin' out at first light. Am I still on his mind? I've been undone."_

Suddenly, right as the chorus was about to hit, Grenda and Candy leaped across a bit of the stage dramatically so that they were mirroring each other. With microphones in their hands, they stood a little ways beside MK as they sang the chorus with great energy. _"Oh, Saturday Sun! I met someone, out on the West Coast. I gotta go back. I can't let this go! Oh, Saturday Sun! I met someone! Don't care what it costs. No ray of sunlight's ever lost!"_

MK stopped singing and looked on in amazement as Candy and Grenda sang, _"Ba-ba, ba-ba, Ba-ba, ba-b-ba-ba!"_ In tune with the music. Suddenly, MK felt a tap on her shoulder. Turning around, she found Mabel with an apologetic smile. Silently, MK smiled in response, before giving her the mic, surprising Mabel as she took her by the arms and swung her so that she was in front and MK was behind her. Immediately, Mabel knew what to sing.

 _"And still the memory's right there. He put the breeze in my hair. No kiss was softer, softer than this. I'm readin' his lips, oh! Each line, I read. He left his books in my bed and his song in my head. I've been undone!"_

 _"Oh, Saturday Sun! I met someone, out on the West Coast. I gotta go back. I can't let this go! Oh, Saturday Sun! I met someone! Don't care what it costs. No ray of sunlight's ever lost!"_ The Galaxies sang, before in pairs of twos, they grabbed each other by the arms and swung each other each time they sang "lost". They would let each other go once the word was done, but reconnect when it was sung again.

 _"Ba-ba, ba-ba, Ba-ba, ba-b-ba-ba!"_ The Galaxies sang over and over again when there were two of them on each side, as far away as possible, doing a coordinated dance. They would skip forward two times, before reaching out to pretend and grab something, before stepping back to where they were before. Suddenly, in the middle, the Galaxies were surprised to watch as Blonde, Brunette, and Makeup girl leaped through the middle, singing "Lost!" Over and over again. After this, they stood in the middle, doing the same dance as the others, but singing a different part. The two competitors smiled at their truce.

Then, the No-Names cartwheeled to the side along with the Galaxies as Pacifica walked through the opening, surprising all of the Galaxies, who thought Pacifica would never join. MK played the ukulele softly as the Northwest sang.

 _"Oh, Saturday Sun. I met someone, out on the West Coast. I gotta go back. I can't let this go. Oh, Saturday Sun. I met someone. Don't care what it costs. No ray of sunlight's ever lost!"_ As they sang the word lost, MK and Mabel ran up to Pacifica and joined arms with her, one on one side. The three lead singers smiled at each other as the rest of their groups did their respective singing.

The girls in Pacifica's group on the side continued singing _, "Ba-ba, ba-ba, Ba-ba, ba-b-ba-ba!"_ as they skipped back and forth across the stage, leaping occasionally. In front was Candy and Grenda, on opposite sides, who would meet each other in the middle and spin around until they disconnected and went back to their sides. When they spun each other, they sang, _"Lost!"_ Meanwhile, the lead singers in the middle sang all through this.

 _"Oh, Saturday Sun! Oh, Saturday Sun! I met someone! Oh, Saturday Sun!"_ When the lead singers finished singing that, everyone stopped where they were at as they sang together, without music, _"Ba-ba, ba-ba, Ba-ba, ba-b-ba-ba!"_

There was silence when the song ended, and then a roaring applause. The girls looked at each other in shock and surprise. It finally registered, though. They had done the impossible. These two groups had worked together. Even Pacifica was smiling as she looked at the two girls beside her. However, the three lead singers went quiet once Shyren came up to them, no longer in monster form.

She smiled happily, no longer smiling softly. _"You guys sang beautifully~. Please forgive me~."_

"It's okay. Sorry for wanting you to help me one more time," Mabel apologized bashfully.

"Yeah, like, sorry for using you..." Pacifica said, remorsefully.

 _"It's okay~. I forgive you~. I think I will go to King Asgore's house to stay~."_ Shyren replied.

"Asgore's house?" Pacifica repeated, confused.

"Alright! Have a good time! Sing hard, girl!" Mable shouted, encouraging the monster, whose smile grew from the encouragement.

 _"Do re do re mi mi fa..."_ Shyren sang, before she ran backstage quickly, never to be seen onstage again.

"So, I guess you guys are pretty good singers," Pacifica admitted after Shyren's disappearance.

"You're not so bad yourself!" MK replied as she playfully punched Pacifica's arm, who flinched at first, before realizing it was a sign of friendship.

"I don't think anybody else saw Shyren was a monster, do you?" Mabel asked, hoping that this was a true statement.

"Yeah. I don't think so. I think only you guys saw it," MK replied.

Suddenly, the woman with the clipboard came on stage, seemingly excited from the previous performance. "Well, due to this sudden turn of events, the judges have ruled that since this performance was phenomenal, both teams will win this year's karaoke competition!"

The crowd cheered and all of the girls' eyes lit up in amazement as they looked at each other happily. Pacifica smiled, before frowning and turning to the girls beside her.

"I guess I should apologize," Pacifica said softly. "However, my parents won't allow it, so take this to never speak about this to my parents again."

From her pocket, Pacifica gave Mabel and MK money in secret before breaking away. "Alright, girls. Let's get away from these nobodies," Pacifica ordered, winking at Mabel and MK before the other three girls in her group joined her. Together, they left the building, leaving the Galaxies on the stage.

The Galaxies hugged each other on stage amid the applause. This was better than they had hoped for. They had won. They had won their prize. There wasn't really a prize, other than gaining bragging rights, but wasn't that all that mattered? Besides, that's what you need to impress a boyfriend. Once they pulled away from their hug, Mabel looked at MK apologetically.

"Look, MK. I'm sorry for how I acted. It was wrong of me. You know I would never actually try to hurt you, right?" Mabel said.

"I forgive you, Mabel! You're one of my best friends! I would rather die than lose a friend!" MK responded, grinning ear-to-ear.

With that, MK cheered loudly, causing the rest of the Galaxies to cheer as well. They had done what they had wanted. They had won, working together.

* * *

When Mabel came home, she found out that both Dipper and her had stories to tell. After hearing each other's stories, they found that Dipper had heard Shyren's wail all the way on Scuttlebutt Island. In a way, it was because of Mabel that Dipper was still alive and not being chased by a giant robotic cyclops. After their stories, they waited for a long time until Sans returned.

When he returned talking about forgotten memories, however, he had completely lost them.

"What do you mean?" Dipper asked in curiosity once Sans had shown two tubes, with "Mabel" written on one, and "Mason" written on the other.

"it's been a long day, dipper," Sans replied, cryptically. "to put it simply, i knew that what you two couldn't remember today was not because you both have short-term memory loss."

"Then, what caused me to lose my memory about a crazy old man?" Dipper asked, remembering what Sans had told him that morning about how he found the map.

"And caused me to forget how I won a golfing tournament despite 'warlock shenanigans'?" Mabel recalled, causing both of the siblings to look at their Dunkle in confusion, pleading for the answer. However, Sans was busy fiddling with the T.V. Upon pressing a button, however, a secret compartment opened up that seemed to be able to hold a tube. Immediately, he put Dipper's in and stepped back as the compartment closed again and an image showed up on the screen.

Dipper and Mabel watched in fascination as Sans spoke.

"let's just say i had a run in with a special little cult..."

* * *

Alex groggily woke up. His head ached and his vision was blurry. He couldn't remember anything that happened after the Nice Cream. He tried to move his hands to rub his aching head, only to find his hands and feet were bound with metal chains. Adrenaline went through his system as his eyes widened. Then, he got his first view of his surroundings. It seemed as though he was in an old decrepit hut. The wood creaked with the pitter patter of the rain beating on the room. Occasionally, water would drip through the cracks in the rotting wood. There were no windows and it must've been night, because it was dark. In front of him was the only lit place in the one-room house.

It was a desk with a book and a candle beside it. The book was open to a page that Alex couldn't read because of his distance from the desk. He found he was in the middle of the room on a wooden chair. What was confusing, however, was how easy it seemed for him to get his hands free from the chains. All he had to do was stand up and lift up his hands from their place behind his back as he got them over the back of the chair. Then, his hands would be free. However, as he tried this, his chains heated up, causing his wrists to burn. He cried out in pain as he stopped his movements and sat back down, panting. Luckily, the chains seemed to cool down once he stopped.

"Escape is pointless." Alex turned his head around until he found the source of the voice. It belonged to a teenage girl, about 18 years old, with pale skin and raven black hair. She wore a muddied white, blue, and red school uniform that came with a skirt. Her leggings looked like spider webs, as did her gloves and her hair seemed to cover her face a bit. Her voice sounded sickly, and somewhat otherworldly when she spoke.

"Those chains are enchanted with a burning charm. One move and that metal will heat up like a skillet," the girl explained, her expression remaining neutral, even though she would occasionally twitch her head like a tic.

"But only monsters can cast enchantments," Alex reasoned, panicked a little. "You must have a monster on your side."

"Or, I have found a magic that you don't have." The girl smiled a little. "I will give you the privilege of knowing my name. My name is Oka Ruto."

"Why are you keeping me here, Oka Ruto?" Alex asked, trying to sound threatening.

"I want to know what you were doing on this island!" Oka shouted, suddenly getting up in Alex's face and threatening him. "Why were you snooping around here?"

The memories came back and Alex's face went white. He had come to Scuttlebutt Island with Dipper and Larry. However, he realized something stranger than normal was going on when Dipper noted that the island had its own climate. He had gone to this island many times before, and it never had a different weather pattern than Gravity Falls. After the Nice Cream, Alex decided to investigate, and he had found nothing until he got hit in the head from behind.

It was then that Alex decided to play dumb. "Look, Oka. I wasn't doing anything against you. I was just exploring. It's very interesting that this island has its own climate, don't you think?"

"But you came here with Pine Tree hours before, so why did you come back?" Oka asked, this time catching Alex in his lies.

"'Pine Tree'? You mean Dipper? He didn't think the weather was that big of a deal. I was wondering what changed."

Oka turned away from Alex, looking at the desk and talking to herself. "Well, I can't let him go, now. My cover will be blown," she murmured, before her stomach made a grumbling noise, causing her to groan in pain. "I can't keep starving myself like this. I can't keep working alone, but I have to... unless..."

She flipped through the pages of her book frantically until she reached a certain page. She read it carefully before taking a deep breath and turning towards Alex.

"Do you believe in fate, boy?" She asked cryptically.

"I can't say I do. I control my own life and body, and no fate can change that," Alex reasoned.

"Well, I do," Oka replied as she picked up the book on the desk and held it in her arms, open to the page she was reading. "I believe it was fate that brought you here. Fate couldn't let me starve myself, trying to keep the wall between dimensions weak day and night with no sleep. That's why fate brought you here. So I can have an assistant."

"Wha-"

"Laever margatnep won!" Oka chanted. Suddenly, around Alex's chair, the floor glowed with a design. It was a pentagram. However, the star inside of the circle were made up of symbols in an unknown language or code. It glowed a bright red as she spoke. "Cipher, after this ritual, I will be halfway done repaying my debt to you. If this host is right for the coming Nightmare, give me a sign."

Once the words were finished, the entire shack shook in a tremor that only affected it. Amidst the movement, a whisper sounded throughout the room in a language Alex couldn't understand. Then, the tremor ended. Suddenly, a young girl's giggle echoed throughout the room, before the voice said, "Do it," in a whisper.

Oka closed her eyes for a while, taking a deep breath. Then, she opened her eyes as a look of DETERMINATION replaced her uneasiness. With her book in hand, she walked around the perimeter of the circle, changing. Her words were unable to be comprehended.

"A regnirb fo soahc,

A regnessem fo raef,

Rehtegot, enibmoc ereh.

Noddegamdriew si gnitteg raen.

I evig uoy a tsoh,

Evig em ruoy rovaf.

Elleb, raef dna soahc thguorb ot efil,

Evig em ruoy tnavres,

Ot ekam eno fo ym nwo!"

As the chanting ended, the pentagram glowed a pinkish hue. It was then that Alex started to feel his head start to fog. It was like something was taking over his mind. As it continued, he started to feel pain and he thrashed about. It wasn't like a headache. It was like lava had replaced his brain and it was now burning through his skull. He thrashed about, no longer caring about the chains around his hands and feet. The chains burned, but it was unnoticeable compared to the pain.

Oka watched in sadistic fascination. Then, all at once, the body went limp. The process was complete. She smirked as she placed the journal onto the desk where it had been previously. She didn't bother to wake the body that had once been Alex. Now, Alex's body was home to a parasite of the mind. When the time was to come, the parasite would come out and Alex would come back. Unfortunately for the boy in front of her, he would wake up near the end of everything. The event that the demon had promised her.

Exactly as Bill Cipher had promised her.

* * *

 **23-8-15 1-3-20 20-15-21-7-8 1-14-4 13-5-1-14 2-21-20 9-19 23-5-1-11 1-14-4 19-16-15-9-12-5-4 18-15-20-20-5-14?**

1 6-21-26-26-25 12-12-1-13-1

* * *

 **A/N Hmmmm... What did Sans do that day? Find out next chapter! What is Oka doing? Find out later!**


	12. Sans vs The Cult

**A/N Alright! The last of these chapters that happened in one day! I promise! Well, except for when Weirdmageddon starts, but that's besides the point. After this, things will become more dramatic and intense. First, my couple of reviews:**

 **Gay bish:** Can you make Sans go into detail about the resets? I feel like Dipper would go into habit about pressuring for answers and then Sans would let something slip, but just a reference would be amazing! Also I freaking love this story and I shall follow it until the ends of the earth

 **Awwwww! Thanks for the review! I have something much better in mind. Dipper will be pressuring someone who has much more experience with resets, come the next couple of chapters ;).**

 **That One Cute Kitty:** Hello! It's been quite a bit of time, I hope your faring well!

 **I've been doing okay. I got sick and went through surgery, but I'm back and doing fine! I promise I will finish this before I die! Promise!**

 **Important HC That Isn't Stated in the story of the Day:** _MK has a crush on someone in the story, and I bet no one can guess who!_

 **Now, let's finish this mini-arc with a bang, shall we?**

Sans and Papyrus walked through the snow. Nobody was around them as the snow fell down around them in flakes. The Surface was better than Sans could've ever imagined. Even in the snow, the Surface was better. They lived with Frisk and Toriel. The trees surrounded the duo and everything seemed to be perfect.

Except not everything was perfect. Only Sans could really see it. He knew Papyrus too well. Papyrus didn't march as much as he used to. Rather, he seemed to try and make his footsteps as unnoticeable as possible. He also didn't walk as fast. Now, he stayed next to Sans, when he used to take pride in always being at least five steps ahead of Sans. Something was wrong, and Sans knew what it was. Unfortunately, there was no easy way of solving it.

"hey, paps. doesn't this remind ya of snowdin?" Sans asked, trying to strike up a conversation.

Papyrus sighed deeply. "I guess so..." With that, he covered his mouth with his red scarf, which he always wore. Because of this action, his scarf didn't flap in the wind behind him anymore.

"are you okay, bro? you haven't been sleeping as much," he responded, worried about his brother.

"Do you think anybody will love me?"

"of course someone loves you, bro! i love you," Sans replied, nonchalantly.

"That's not what I meant. Do you think the humans will like me?" Papyrus asked, anxiously.

"paps, frisk loves you, and she's a human. i believe humans will like you. how could they not? you're the great papyrus!"

Papyrus paused for a while, before smiling sadly at himself. "Yeah... I'm... great..."

* * *

It was a beautiful day outside. Birds were singing. Flowers were blooming. It was on days like these that people like Sans liked to sleep in. Of course, the only dreams he had anymore were memories. When he woke up this fine morning, he groaned. Another memory with Papyrus in it. It seemed as though those dreams were becoming more frequent ever since his injury. Most were memories of Papyrus being on the Surface.

It hurt Sans. He loved his brother, and each time he dreamed of Papyrus, he forgot that Papyrus was gone. Again and again, he had to go through the torturous reminder that he was gone. However, this memory was somehow different. It felt like Papyrus was there, right beside him. It was like Papyrus was reminding Sans to do something. Unfortunately, it was too vague to comprehend.

Of course, Papyrus wouldn't have liked Sans to lay in bed all day, Sans realized with a chuckle. Slowly, he sat up in his bed and there he stayed for a while. His life used to seem so perfect, Sans mused. Why was it that whenever his life seemed perfect, his life would break again? Even now, he tried to be pessimistic. Dipper and Mabel were only staying for the Summer. Soon, his life would go back to the broken ruins that it was before.

With that in mind, he rose out of bed and went into his human form. Without so much as caring about the socks in his room or the self-sustaining mini tornado in the corner, he put on his white shirt, blue jacket, and pink slippers. Then, he smiled. Right. He didn't have to hide his monster self from the Mystery Twins anymore. They already knew. Hell, that meant he was able to teleport out of his room now, without anyone beating an eye.

It had been years since he was able to teleport out the room without accidentally exposing monsterkind. It was with a certain laziness and excitement that he decided to do it now. Of course, it was just Sans' luck to teleport into the room when Mabel's friends were watching. When he finished teleporting, he saw Dipper right in front of him, with the girls downstairs. However, it seemed like Dipper was explaining to them about monsters. Maybe this wasn't such a bad thing after all, Sans though with a grin.

"I mean, it was kind of weird, but I trust Dunkle Sans. Afterwards, he didn't seem any different," Dipper replied, answer MK's question.

"and i won't ever be different, kid," Sans said, causing everyone to stare at him. After letting the few humans in the room see him as he really was, he quickly changed into human form. Candy and Grenda's mouths were wide open, which made Sans smirk a bit. Then, Mabel ran up to him and hugged him, almost causing him to fall over, if it weren't for his sort-of-good balance. He was quick to hug her back and bring her close to his SOUL. These kids were just so lovable.

"Hey, Sans," Dipper said with a teasing smile. "Did you just teleport out of your room?"

"i'm lazy, dipper. you should know that by now," Sans replied with playful wink and shrug. Dipper seemed to be nicer to him, now that Chara was gone. Chara ruined everything she touched, that was for sure. However, the one thing she couldn't ruin was his love for his family.

Mabel let go of him, but she also grabbed him by the arm and forcefully led him down the stairs to her friends, which only made him chuckle. Mabel's friends were in shock for a while before Candy found a voice. "Woah! You are the first monster I know! That's so cool!"

Sans couldn't help but glance to MK. Poor MK. It was odd. She once saw humans as the enemy. The villains you read in storybooks. Stuff like that. Now... He looked to her questioning, wondering if she wanted him to reveal her secret. However, her sickly-pale skin and worried eyes seemed to make her point clear. She didn't want any of it. He shrugged subtly in response before looking back to Candy.

"i actually doubt that, kid," Sans said, before deciding to refer to MK without actually saying it. "monsters are all around this town. you could've met one and never known it."

"Then how can you tell if you do meet one?" Grenda asked, looking directly at Sans. Sans looked to Dipper, knowing that he would want to be the one to answer it.

"Wait. I can answer that, Dunkle Sans," Dipper said, right on cue. Great, Sans thought. I love doing absolutely nothing. Dipper immediately started flipping through the book Sans had given him.

Sans had that rough draft of the book Frisk had written, the Sunlit Era, for weeks now, hoping to give it to the Pines Twins once they knew. Though he didn't get to explain the whole thing exactly the way he wanted, thanks to Chara, he did get to give a book full of useful information from their distant cousin. Ah, how he wished they could meet Frisk, but that was next to impossible, since she was in college.

"'Monster SOULS are the most useful way to detect a monster's presence. While monsters can't summon their SOULS out of their bodies, their SOUL still establishes their existence in other ways, like how someone could tell a person's preference and personality just by looking at their residence. Magic is the easiest way to tell, as humans can't do complicated magic without a monster's help. However, since a magical disguise uses all their magic, this is also the hardest to spot.'"

"'The second way to tell is called a SOUL echo. Believe it or not, monster SOULS are always emitting magical energy, whether it is actually used or not. Because of this, the magic acts like an echo that helps one detect the presence of a magical creature, presumably monsters, if one knows what to "listen" for. This echo is able to be detected by one's SOUL, so, to detect an echo, you need to close your eyes and focus on your senses. To hear a SOUL echo is a surreal experience. If you truly hear one, you should hear the equivalent of a "song", as it were. Some monsters even have a unique echo, a "theme song" or motif as it were. Most monsters, however, have a single echo they use.'" Dipper finished reading.

"So, according to this, you hear a type of song if you try to detect an echo?" Dipper asked, looking to Sans. Unfortunately, Sans was unable to say. Sure, he always heard the music when monsters wanted to be heard, but he didn't know how it worked with humans. He only knew what it was like for Frisk, and Frisk was a special case for humans anyways. He shrugged and decided to give the best answer he could.

"you can try, if you want," Sans responded. Yup. The only way to tell. He watched as Dipper closed his eyes and Sans quickly went to work trying to make his music more heard. At first, he wasn't sure if it was working, until Dipper opened up his eyes in a bit of shock.

"I can still hear it..." Dipper said.

"yeah. frisk says that once you hear it, you can't not hear it." That confirmed it for Sans. Maybe Frisk was not an outlier this time. Maybe all humans could hear it if they just concentrated. He soon found his answer when everyone tried, except for MK who tried to hide her music. Everyone opened their eyes and looked at Sans in amazement. Sans looked to MK and winked as subtly as he could. Quickly, MK spoke as she tried to change the subject.

"Welp, that was fun, but shouldn't we get going? We don't want to be late!"

"Oh, right!" Mabel replied with a cheerful smile before turning to her brother. "C'mon, Bro-Bro! You should come!"

"Uh. No thanks. I have to do, y'know," Dipper responded, motioning to the book in his hands.

"Alright, but you have to hang out with us one day, okay?" Mabel commented with a disappointed frown.

"I know. I will when-" Suddenly, a scrap of paper fluttered to the ground. Sans wasn't surprised. He remembered how Dipper hid the map he got from that old insane man, McGucket, inside the book. Of course, he never said that he made the map, but hey. He was going to explain everything soon.

What confused Sans, however, was the look of confusion on Dipper's face when he picked it up. "What's this?"

Sans tried to hide his surprise, though that was unsuccessful. How could Dipper not remember the crazy adventure he had with the Gobblewonker? "dipper, that's the map you got from one of your adventures. remember the crazy ol' man?" Sans said as he tried to jog Dipper's memory. Unfortunately, it was like the memory never existed in the first place. Now, Dipper was more confused.

"Crazy... old... man?" Dipper repeated, unsure of whether it was real or not. Sans sighed as he tried to hide his suspicions and anxiety.

"welp, maybe i dreamed it up. hasn't been the first time i've... uh... experienced things that didn't actually happen. anyways, you can keep the map. i don't mind," Sans said, nonchalantly even though he was very concerned. Luckily, he was good at acting when he wanted to. He turned to the girls with a smile. "well, let's get going to the car. ya don't want me to get TIREd!"

"Yeah! Yo, let's go, team!" MK yelled out.

"Go Galaxies!" The other girls cheered before following Sans and MK to the car out front, leaving Dipper behind to look at the strange map.

* * *

Sans couldn't concentrate as he tried to process what could've happened. What could make Dipper lose his memory about a crazy adventure he had told Sans with pride? Could Frisk have done a RESET? No. She couldn't have. This wasn't deja vu. If it was, that map would still be in the Gobblewonker's gullet. There was something else afoot.

"calm down, sans," he mumbled under his breath. "just drop off the girls, and then you can figure this out."

To take his mind off things, he listened to the girls in the backseat, who were now singing. Afterwards, they all complimented each other and were confident they were going to win the Karaoke Competition at City Hall that they had all trained for. Sans couldn't help but smile.

"You deserve an award!" One of the girls said, clearly meaning it for MK.

"i think all of you guys deserve awards," Sans complimented as he continued to watch the road. "i'm not good at singing. people would pay me to stop singing!"

"It can't be that bad, Dunkle Sans," Mabel reassured comfortingly.

"If monsters have magic, couldn't you make yourself sound better?" Candy asked curiously.

"nah, kid. it's only if your soul has that type of personality. monster magic mirrors a monster's personality, you know," he answered in his usual, lazy tone of voice. "unfortunately, my soul and i ain't into singing."

"That's fine, Dunkle Sans! You're better at plenty of other things, like saving out skins!" Mabel replied, giggling as her friend joined in. Sans merely smiled happily before stopping in front of the city hall.

"alrighty, kids. this is your stop," Sans said, clearly full of pride. How could he not be? He loved these kids a ton. They were going to do great.

"Will you come and watch us?" Mabel asked as the rest of her friends exited the car.

"i would, kid, but something just came up that i have to take care of. besides, i know you can win this. if you can win a golfing tournament despite the warlock shenanigans, then you can do anything," Sans replied. However, when Mabel merely looked at him in confusion, he realized something was up with her too. She had bragged about that moment too. However, he had to stay calm and he had to act natural, so he just sighed and shrugged. "good luck, baby bones. i'm rooting for you."

"Love you too! I'll walk home, by the way!" Mabel explained, before closing the door of the car.

"alright..." Sans mumbled to himself as his eyes dimmed and he drove out of the parking lot. He had some business to attend to. There was something wrong with this town. He knew that a while back when people could recall strange events. Of course, he didn't care then, but when that mysterious being, event, or group decided to pick on his family, that's when he had a bone to pick with them.

He had his suspicions, but there was only one way to quell the growing sense of urgency. People needed to know and remember what was going on at this insane town. If even his own niece and nephew weren't safe from this power, then he was going to do something about it. He was the only one capable of doing something about it.

Unfortunately, this meant going to a place he never wanted to go. He hated anything that reminded him of the rift between him and... It didn't matter. Just like him to make his emotions get the better of him. He needed to stop this, but first, he needed to know what he was up against.

When he pulled into the driveway of the Mystery Shack, he didn't even bother to walk through the store. Checking around him, carefully, he found that his secret was safe and he teleported to his room. Pulling out a key from his pocket, he opened up a locked drawer. Inside was a book. Sans shook his head.

"i should really tell dipper and mabel i have this..." he said, regretfully. Of course, now was not the time, and it would be better to tell his nephew that he had Journal 1 when Dipper could see his work for himself.

"alright, good," he addressed the book, calling the Journal, "Good". "give me the location of g's bunker."

Waving his hand, glowing with blue magic, over the book, words appeared. No. Wingdings appeared. Picking up the book, he read the coded font without even needing to decode it. He had learned it at a very young age. Both Papyrus and Sans had. If they hadn't known it by heart, understanding G would've been next to impossible. Sometimes, he wished he didn't know how to speak the code. It would've made the yelling more bearable.

"so that's where you hid it, ol' man," Sans said in a humored manner. "i should've known it would've been so close to our future prison."

Unlike most monsters, Sans didn't feel any nostalgia towards Mount Ebott. That cursed place could rot for all he cared. Other monsters felt it was a part of monster culture. However, Sans saw it as restricting culture. What culture was there in wishing on gemstones when you could wish on real stars? There was so much monsters and humans could do together that both races seemed to forget about in their exile. A new culture could be made without even having to visit the prison called Mount Ebott.

He gently put "The Good" back into the drawer and sighed. One out of the three journals that could help him. He wouldn't even need these books if he wasn't so stupid. He had found The Good using only his memory as a guide. He tried to find another one, but it was taken. What was worse was that it was arguably the most evil of the three. Finally, he couldn't remember where he put the last one. He knew why. In all honesty, he was lucky just to have one. He was so far from his goal.

Shaking away these dreadful thoughts, he looked at himself in the mirror. He seemed fine. The injury from his fall was on the mend. His belly was sore still, causing each breath to send a bit of pain shooting through his body. Other than that, everything was okay. He was allowed to do magic, as long as he wasn't witnessed by any humans, and he looked as great in appearance as he did before.

Taking out a comb from his pocket, he combed his hair back until it was just the way he liked it. Another advantage of being in human form: it actually made his comb seem useful. He smiled at himself before turning away from the mirror and getting ready to snap his fingers.

"time to investigate."

* * *

Once his teleportation was complete, he found himself in the middle of the vast forest surrounding Gravity Falls, next to Mt. Ebott. Of course, he didn't come there on accident. On the contrary, he actually was where he needed to be. He felt it in his bones. It was like the code was trying to hide this place. No. Not hide. It was trying to forget this place.

Imagine a universe where everything is the same, but you don't exist. Everything works fine without you...

Sans smiled sadly. "heh. the thought terrifies me, but you couldn't hide yourself from me."

Without any hesitation, he put his hand on the tree next to him. He didn't even need to look to know that he had activated a hidden indentation in the tree. He felt his hand sink into the tree a little before a compartment opened up underneath his hand. A lever was revealed, and Sans didn't hesitate to pull it. In front of the skeleton, the hill suddenly became bigger, as if something underground was beginning to surface. It broke through the grass and dirt until a rusty doorway appeared. G's bunker.

Sans approached the metal door, expecting it to slide open. It didn't budge. He frowned unhappily as he placed a hand on the rusted door. Still nothing. He pressed against it, hoping it would barge in. Despite its rusty exterior, it was still strong enough to withstand the push... or maybe Sans was just weak, physically. Grunting in annoyance, Sans summoned a Gaster Blaster aimed at the door, causing him to go back to his true form. The Gaster Blaster gathered energy before blasting a ray of pure magic. When the dust settled and Sans was back in his human form, there was nothing left of the door.

The bunker was dark and dusty with technology and computers lining the side. When Sans passed them, the motion sensors on the systems caused the computers to turn on, shining a bit of light down the corridor. There were no lights in the bunker, though Sans wasn't surprised by this fact. It wasn't surprising how the air seemed stale. This was ancient technology. Sure, it was computers, but they were not as advanced as the ones on the Surface or even in the Underground.

Sans waved cobwebs away from his vision as he continued to walk. Unfortunately, he had never been to this place. If he had, he could've just teleported to where he had wanted to go. However, would G have let him? Maybe not. The task he was on was proving tedious. If only-

He stopped, noticing a cylindrical container on a desk had its lid slightly ajar. Sans grunted instead of chuckled as he went to the container. Removing the lid, he found it empty. However, when he checked the side, it had a label that read, "Memory Gun - Working Prototype." Of course. G wouldn't let him find his prized possession so easily. However, this confirmed Sans' suspicions. Everything that G left behind wouldn't disappear into thin air. G would move them. Give them to people he trusted more than his own family. In this case, someone was using the memory gun on his family.

All he needed to do now was to find them. With a DETERMINED look on his face, he turned around to exit the bunker. That is, until he nearly bumped into a lady who was only lit up by the screens in the room.

The lady had an interesting appearance. She looked to be both old and young at the same time. Her skin seemed to change from being wrinkly to smooth and then wrinkly again at strange intervals. However, this change was subtle, so that one didn't realize she had wrinkles until the change was complete. Her eyes were purple, which seemed to glow subtly in the dark. Her hair was black, but a single strand of hair on her right side was shock white. She wore an old purple dress that seemed to belong to the time period of knights and princesses. Across her shoulder was a brown satchel with elegant designs depicting trees and flowers, surrounding a family crest, which Sans couldn't see very well.

She smiled mysteriously at Sans before speaking. "I knew you would be coming, Sans Pines." Her voice was a mix of an old woman's calm tone and a young woman's playful voice. Together, it made her voice sound like she was neither old nor young.

Sans' brow furrowed unhappily. "and i'm leaving. i've had enough of your kind, especially when you mess with my family."

"Those witches and warlocks your niece encountered at the golf course had nothing to do with me," the woman replied, undeterred. "I wouldn't have touched a hair on that girl's head and they wouldn't either, if they had known what she was capable of. She has much to live up to."

"what do you mean?" Sans asked, unsure what this mysterious woman meant.

"The Writer of the Code has done great things," she answered cryptically. "She has written our past, present, and future, and has controlled this world successfully. She has even turned a beast into a lovable child. She stopped the creation of this beast just by taking the people involved and placing them in a different time."

"if you're gonna be so cryptic, i might as well just leave."

"Unfortunately, that part was meant to be a secret. I couldn't tell you without being cryptic. The rest, I can tell you as clearly as I want to," the woman said with a wink. "My name is Helvetica. I am the head witch, leader of the current generation of witches and warlocks."

"helvetica...that's a skeleton name..." Sans responded. War

"Indeed," she replied, smiling. "My father was a skeleton and my mother was a human. You might have heard of them. They're quite famous around here, though it has been hundreds of years since I've seen them."

"heh... so your parents started the legend behind the costume ball," he pieced together with ease.

Helvetica simply nodded.

"well, helvetica, why did you want to see me?"

"There is much that I wish to say, but only so much I can actually say," Helvetica answered. "The Writer gave me the gift of foresight, but I can only tell my visions to other people cryptically or through objects of great power."

With that, she opened up her satchel and took out a deck of cards. "Why don't we step into the light and have a nice chat? It would be nice to speak with you during my card reading."

"i'd love to but i'm kinda on a tight schedule," Sans responded with a lazy, half-hearted shrug. Unfortunately, Helvetica was having none of it.

"I promise you their memories will still be there by the time we're done," she replied with a sly smile. "Besides, I bought you some ketchup."

Sans' eyes brightened upon hearing his favorite drink offered. Clearly, this lady knew her stuff. She had the sort of mischievousness that only a skeleton could have. Despite her older appearance, she was literally bright-eyed and figuratively bushy-tailed. He sighed as he followed this lady out of the bunker. Immediately, he found himself greeted to a wooden table with two chairs, facing each other. The table and chairs looked to be furniture that was literally grown from the ground, rather than chopped down and carved into shape. Helvetica took a seat at the farthest seat while motioning for Sans to take the seat across from her, a bottle of ketchup awaiting his arrival.

He grinned as he took a seat. Helvetica shuffled the cards in her hands. The cards were mysterious, yet elegant in design. Every design on the cards had an outline made out of words. The words were illegible, however. The black cards depicted SOULS. At the center of the card was a red human SOUL, just like Frisk's. Surrounding this red SOUL were the other six human traits. Circling around these came witch and warlock SOULS. These SOULS looked to be much like their human counterparts, but the colors were faded and its design looked like a heart on its side. There were many more witch and warlock SOULS, since they had more varying tints. Then, filling up the rest of the card were monster souls, outnumbering them all.

She looked up at Sans. "What do you wish to know?"

"i dunno. i thought ya had something to tell me," Sans said with an intrigued, yet lazy grin.

"If you do not know what you want to know, then you know little about yourself," Helvetica replied as she started placing cards in a configuration. "To know the enemy and what lies ahead, you must know yourself."

"whatever you say," he responded with a shrug. He thought he knew himself pretty good. He might as well amuse this witch, however. She might give him more ketchup.

The configuration of the cards was simple. There were three rows. The first row had three cards. The second row had only one card, which sat beneath the second card in the top row. The third row, once again, had three cards and had the only card in the second row above the second card. This configuration looked like an I and it intrigued Sans even more as she began to explain what each cards' position meant.

"These cards are your past, present, and future," she explained, motioning to the top row of three cards. Then, she motioned to the third row. "These cards show allies, tools, and enemies that you have or will gain." She pointed to the first card in the third row for allies, second card for tools, and third card for enemies.

Finally, she pointed to the center card. "This card shows your true self at the present time."

Sans nodded as he combed his hair, listening to the witch speak. Helvetica smiled before placing her hand over the card, representing the past. She closed her eyes as she spoke, flipping the card over.

"I see a young skeleton, alienated from those close to him. His mother was unrelated to him. His father didn't care to own him. Only his brother cared and reached out. I see three lights flickering out. His mother fell. His father fell. His brother fell." She opened her eyes to look at Sans, her eyes glowing brightly as she held up the card she flipped over. "I see a young skeleton, orphaned before his family even left."

The card itself showed a design reminiscent of the Underground. The focus of the card was even someone Sans knew. A young girl with brown hair and a blue and purple striped sweater sat on a bed of golden flowers, bending over herself as she cried. Underneath, in elaborate lettering, it read "The Orphaned", and that was his past.

Sans shifted uncomfortably, desperate not to show his weakness. However, the witch didn't stop there as she closed her eyes, yet again, and placed her hand over the card representing the present.

"I see a hurricane and you are in the eye. You ignore the very storm in front of you, hoping the peace would last. Despite this hope, you keep your eyes open. You watch from afar. I see an army gathering and you are watching it from the sidelines, hoping to stop it." Her eyes fluttered open once again. "You know this peace will not last. Action is the way to stop it. You claim to be lazy, but need to act soon. You're our eyes and ears. You're the scout."

Upon saying that, she flipped the card, revealing a new design. Sans nearly choked on his ketchup, because he also recognized the monster on the card. The scene portrayed a skeleton on a horse, a bow strapped across her back and cloak as she stared at a tall mountain in the distance. "The Scout".

Helvetica looked directly into Sans' eyes, making him slightly uncomfortable as her purple eyes stared into his. "Being a scout will no longer be good enough, Sans. Because of your reluctance to take action, all that you can do is provide damage control, and you aren't even doing that." Sans frowned grumpily at the fact he was being scolded by this woman. "However, knowing who can help, what can help, and who is the enemy will help you know what to do."

She put her hand over the card that represented allies. She stayed silent for a while before speaking. "I know what you are planning on doing. It is a dangerous game you play. You know he will try and stop you."

"look, if you're gonna tell me to stop, i've got better things to-"

"You must not let him stop you," Helvetica interrupted, surprising Sans back into shocked silence. "If you stop, the world will fall. He will tell you it was your fault. I tell you it was bound to happen anyways. Your allies surround you. Most are already by your side. The only ones you need to find are the ones who need to be saved."

The card was flipped and it said, "The Saved". The design was something Sans had never seen before. It was Frisk, her head held low as she smiled, putting her hand and SOUL on an option that said, "SAVE". Around her were rainbow bullets, bound to hit her and a foreboding shadow that told him this wasn't any ordinary monster attacking Frisk.

Sans merely hid his interest in the design. He knew Frisk better than anybody, and he knew that Frisk must've encountered this monster in a previous timeline. Maybe no other monster saw it. Just one more thing to ask Frisk about.

The witch waved her hand over the cards before resting it on the card representing tools. "Your tool on this quest is unique. In this storm, nothing physical can face it. I foretell you need nothing more than allies by your side and your SOUL to stand firm."

The card was shown at that point, revealing a monster SOUL and a DETERMINED human SOUL touching at the center of a dark background. Underneath read, "The SOUL".

"The enemy is hidden," Helvetica said, her hand over the third card on the bottom row. "You don't know who it is but you know down to the very core of your being that this enemy is vicious. A combination of the two most vile properties. I think you already suspect one of those components that makes your enemy..."

Sans was silent for a while, before giving a grim expression and nodding. "You're suspicions aren't misplaced. The other is hidden away between dimensions. If it weren't for the Writer, this event would've happened years ago prior, when humans had princes and princesses. You will know what I speak in time, but all you need to know is that the combination of these malevolent forces creates a hideous beast!"

"The Beast", the card read, revealing the image of an entrance to a cave, shrouded in darkness. The trees surrounding the entrance drooped and withered around it and the sky was a dark gray. The cave interior was as dark as pitch, but eyes shined from within the cave. The eyes were peach in color, but the crazed smile that caught the last remaining rays of light showed their malevolence.

"Finally, we return to you, Sans," Helvetica continued, placing her hand over his future. "The storm is a part of your future. There is no sleeping through it. However, depending on your actions, the storm may pass or stay. It takes a true sacrifice to end the madness."

Sans paled more than usual at her implication. She responded in turn by explaining her meaning fully. "It is your decision, Sans. In the end, if there is no sacrifice, there is no future. Not even for Mason and Mabel."

The future card stared up at Sans. It stated "The Sacrificed" in elegant writing. The design was of a patch of golden flowers, with a ghostly figure standing amidst them. The figure looked a lot like Toriel, except smaller. He wore a green sweater with yellow stripes and black pants. Asriel, Sans realized. The king's son.

"you can't just expect me to accept that," Sans protested sternly.

"I didn't say my fortunes were about acceptance. I only tell you the truth. If you don't make the required sacrifice, there is no world to save," Helvetica replied.

"i can't be the only one who has to sacrifice something!"

"You aren't. Think long and hard, Sans, about what you are willing to sacrifice for this world. For your family. Your choice now could determine the fate of humans and monsters."

Silence was left as he thought about his decision. "what am i really, then?"

Helvetica put her hand over the middle card. The final card. "You are so much more than what you give credit for. When you make sacrifices, you aren't one to make them quietly. When you go out, you go out with a bang. You are an avenger."

"The Avenger". The card was made for Sans. It was a beautifully designed image of Judgement Hall with an eerily similar picture of Sans, standing at the end of the corridor, partially obscured by a shadow. It made Sans shudder to think some witch knew about him before anyone else did.

"You are the only one who can make the sacrifice that matters. That is why only you can stop the enemy in the end."

Silence. The witch seemed to enjoy the contemplative silence, while Sans became annoyed by it. Unfortunately, he didn't know what to say. What could he say? Everything she said was true, though he hated to admit it. Nothing else could be said.

"Well, I think that is all I can see, Sans, though I must ask you to remember your place in this world. You'll know the sacrifice you must make in time. Now, care for your darling niece and nephew," Helvetica ordered before standing up and walking away, leaving the cards in place.

"where can i find you if i need your help?" Sans asked half-heartedly.

The witch smiled. "I'll find you when you need help."

"can you be anything other than vague?" He replied.

"In my line of work, I thrive off of vagueness," Helvetica explained before extending her right hand. "Have a nice afternoon, Sans. You will certainly feel more like yourself by day's end."

With that, she disappeared, as if she could also teleport like Sans. He shook his head. "witches. you wish to avoid them and yet you can't look away when they come," he mused before realizing she left the cards on the table. There must've been a reason why she left them on the table. In his experience, witches never forget. She must've wanted him to keep the cards.

Quickly, he gathered up the cards and slipped them in one of his pockets for later use or reference. Then, without any further delay, he snapped his fingers and teleported to the one place where he could figure out who was stealing memories.

* * *

Sans knocked on the door and waited patiently for someone to answer it. It had been a while since he had visited Alphys and Undyne. More accurately put, Undyne had visited him, but never the other way around. In this case, he wanted to see Undyne's girlfriend and maybe KETCHUP with Undyne.

The door opened to Undyne, who gave him a toothy grin. "Well, if it isn't Sans! I'll be honest, I didn't think you would have the strength to come back here after that nasty fall."

"yeah, but i'm, apparently, hard to kill," Sans replied nonchalantly.

"Well, get your lazy bones in here and let's talk," Undyne responded.

It wasn't long before Sans was sitting on the couch with a ketchup in his hand and Undyne by his side. Ever since the Royal Guard was disbanded and Undyne was no longer his boss, Undyne was more friendly towards him. Sometimes, his laziness would still get on her nerves, but at least she was no longer there when he was sleeping on the job. She even gave him ketchup.

"So, how did Dipper and Mabel take it?" she asked, her expression becoming more somber.

"they took it okay after i explained it all to 'em. i think they were more shaken by how close i was to being..." Sans cut himself off.

"Have you told them about the rest of us?"

"i figured it's up to your guys' discretion. of course, i can't guarantee what tori said, but if you don't want them to know, i can promise not to-"

"No no! It's fine. Remember, Sans. I was on the side of the Monster Council that didn't want that stupid law about our disguises. Me, Toriel, Asgore, Alphys; we all were... Well, except for..."

"papyrus..." Sans finished with a sad expression.

"Yeah... but, who could really blame him?" Undyne responded, reassuring Sans. "We all knew he may have been tough on the outside, but he was soft on the inside. It hurt him more than if it had happened to any of us. In the end, I knew he would be the tiebreaker, and I blamed the other ones who voted against us, rather than him."

"yeah. i didn't tell the twins that their grandfather was the one that decided it would be better if we just hid our secret. it would break their faith in him," Sans replied.

"They might understand, if you explain it to them all the way. If only Papyrus were able to explain. He might be the only one able to explain everything that happened to him effectively." Undyne sighed before changing the subject. "So, what did you come here for. Let's be honest, Sans. You wouldn't get off the couch just to say 'hello' to an old friend."

"you've got me," Sans answered with a wink. "i just wanted to ask you something serious."

The world around them went dark as time itself seemed to stand still. A single light from what seemed like a spotlight fell upon Sans and Undyne. Undyne, was unfazed by this, for as of recently, it had happened often. She sat up straight as Sans became serious, his tone of voice shifting.

"Have you realized some people can't remember the unusual things that happen in this town?" Sans asked.

"Now that you mention it, I have noticed people do seem to forget the strangest things," Undyne responded truthfully.

"There used to be a monster scientist who fell down long ago. I checked his bunker and one device was missing. The memory gun that could erase memories," he explained.

"What has gotten you to care about this? You've never been quick to do anything," she asked.

"Well, whoever took that memory gun used it on my niece and nephew," Sans replied unhappily.

"They used it on Dipper and Mabel?! I'LL DESTROY THOSE JERKS!" Undyne shouted.

"Exactly. I was planning on asking Alphys if I can check the cameras she has around town to see who's been doing it," he said.

Undyne smiled. "Yeah. Alphys is sure to help you. She'll be back any minute now."

With that, the lighting returned to the entire room and time began again. Sans seemed to immediately go back to his lazy demeanor. For a while, they didn't say much, until Alphys came through the door. In her arms were some groceries that she bought at the store. She smiled at her wife happily, completely missing the fact Sans was there.

"Hey, Undyne! I went to the store and I bought us some snacks for the Mew Mew Kissy Cutie marathon! Then, I got us new blankets for when we reach Mew Mew Kissy Cutie 2, so that we can sleep right through it!" Alphys exclaimed, happy about the event she was planning. It seemed as though Alphys' stutter was gone when she was just with Undyne, and she was certainly getting better when she was speaking with other people. Her confidence and self-esteem were improving, which was a good sign.

"That's great, Alphys!" Undyne replied happily. "Before we start, though, I think Sans has something that he'd like to discuss with you."

"O-oh! H-hey, Sans," Alphys said, realizing Sans was there the whole time. She placed the groceries on the kitchen table before approaching him. "How are you doing? Is everything alright?"

"oh yeah. everything's okay. i came here to check something on your cameras," Sans answered, getting straight to the point.

"M-my cameras? O-okay..." Alphys replied, before walking towards her office. Sans was quick to follow, leaving Undyne in the living room to wait. The office was mostly filled with a desk and a giant screen. The desk was filled with papers, action figures, and ramen noodles that only needed water to cook. Alphys hit a key in the keyboard, causing the screen to light up. "What do you want to see?"

"i want to see where dipper was last week on monday. after that day, he seemed to forget about the time he fought a giant water monster," Sans explained, causing Alphys to nod.

"Well, with a simple face scan, I think I can locate him. Let me see..." With that, Alphys went to work. She first found the face she was searching for by searching up Dipper and then sent the many films from the cameras through the scanner. Then, when it found it, it made a beeping sound until she hit a button that played the footage.

Sure enough, there was Dipper, walking through the streets of Gravity Falls. He was silent and simply seemed to be thinking to himself about the day. Unlike most civilians in Gravity Falls, he was not screaming to the skies about what he had seen. He just seemed to take everything in strides. That's when a thought entered Sans' head. How did the person who was taking away memories know that Dipper had seen something strange? With any other civilian, it would've been easy, but Dipper? There was only one way to see everything that was going on in Gravity Falls, and that was through...

Sans stopped time again, making exceptions for himself and the computer. He groaned as he began to feel weaker. Stopping time was always taxing on the little energy he had. If he were to find the person doing this to his niece and nephew, he would have to save his energy. However, this was serious. The first way to stop the carnage to was to blind the eye. Carefully, he stopped the video feed and went to the main screen. Quickly, he started a virus diagnostic. He waited for a while until the computer was done and he wasn't surprised when he found that the computer found a virus.

Sans smiled as he did what he did best. He altered the code. Whether it be the code of existence or the code of a computer, he knew how to alter it enough to bend to his will. It was his gift. This time, he altered the code of existence. He searched in his mind for the right line until he finally found it. With little hesitation, he deleted it. With that, the virus was gone, and Sans, wiping sweat from his forehead, put back on the video feed and started time again.

Now, whoever was doing this could no longer see, but Sans could. He could watch this person operate. He watched Dipper come to stop in front of a pay phone, seemingly stopping just to think for a while. Suddenly, from out behind some bushes, two cloaked figures jumped out and grabbed him.

"Hey! Get off me!" Dipper yelled, but he was quickly muffled as a bag went over his face and the two cloaked figure disappeared with Dipper in tow. However, on their cloaks was a symbol that was now memorized by the lazy skeleton. It was an eye that was crossed out.

"O-oh my! This can't- There can't be a... memory-erasing cult, can there?" Alphys said, shocked by the events she had witnessed through her cameras before turning to Sans. "Sans?"

Sans clenched his hands into fists. Anger. Anger was all he felt, and it burned him to the bone. That hypocrite. He spoke of spreading knowledge to the world, and yet he was the cause of this cult that took away knowledge. Sure, Sans was no saint either, but at least he stood by his morals.

He didn't say a word until his anger abated. It was better that way. If he spoke, he might hurt Alphys, but if he waited, he could actually hurt the ones responsible. He was a creature of emotions, despite how much he denied it. He needed to be logical.

Sans sighed before responding. "it seems my theory was correct. well, i guess i'll be going." He started to leave the room.

"Wait. What are you planning on doing?" Alphys asked nervously.

"i'm going to show all of gravity falls that their town is weird. they will remember every supernatural thing that happened to them, so that they can better protect themselves. or, in short..." Sans turned to Alphys, his skeleton form revealing that his eyes were empty, seemingly showing his anger. **"I'M GOING TO BEAT THE CRAP OUT OF THEM FOR WHAT THEY DID TO MY NIECE AND NEPHEW."**

With that, he snapped his fingers and teleported away. Alphys was left in the room, shocked. Her mouth was open in shock. Eventually, she did react, and although she knew Sans wasn't there, she responded as if he was there anyway. She raised a hand and waved it before muttering something under her breath.

"Good luck..."

* * *

The first issue on Sans' mind was how to find this mysterious cult. Unfortunately, he didn't know their location, so he couldn't go in there, guns a blazing. He had to be strategic. Luckily, he was smart when he wanted to be, and he quickly came up with a plan. He would infiltrate the cult.

The only people who knew where the cult was were the cultists. Therefore, he could be taken there by the cultists themselves if he acted like he saw something supernatural. More specifically, claim he saw something supernatural next to the pay phone with the crossed-out eye symbol. That was a sure way of getting caught. Then, he would find out where the cultists were and plan from there.

As he walked to the pay phone, he tried to come up with his story. He... saw Bigfoot and was telling everybody. No. Too obvious. Almost everyone claimed to see Bigfoot and the cult never took those memories away. He... saw a flying saucer. No. Same problem. What was supernatural, but wasn't used as a hoax?

Suddenly, his answer came when he caught sight of some supernatural creatures beside the very pay phone he was going to be standing at. A pie sat on a window sill, and below that were four tiny folk. More specifically, they had pointy red hats and looked to be gnomes.

"C'mon, David! Just a little higher..." the gnome that was presumably the leader said. This gnome stood on top of the other gnomes and tried, with all his might, to try and grab the pie.

"do ya need some help?" Sans asked. The gnomes froze when they noticed the short, smiling man beside them. Before they could react, however, Sans grabbed the pie on the sill and held it out for the gnome on top. "take it. just stop trying to find queens, alright?"

The head gnome took the pie out of Sans' hands before yelling, "Split!" Quickly, the gnomes ran in multiple directions. It was as if he had scared a bunch of mice, rather than gnomes. Sans didn't stop them, however. He only needed an excuse to yell out stuff pertaining to the supernatural, and if any cultists were hiding, they would know he wasn't lying.

"welp, i better tell my niece, my nephew, toriel, alphys, undyne, wendy, soos, lazy susan-" Sans said out loud, counting on the people on his hands playfully. He pretended not to notice the cultists sneaking around him. When a bag went over his head, he was almost relieved. Somehow, the cultists didn't see through his facade. And next thing he knew, he was being carried to their hiding place.

* * *

Sans knew he was somewhere top secret when the light of day was dimmed into the light of a dimly lit room. Of course, he couldn't see anything, but he wasn't exactly worried. The footsteps of the cultists and his own footsteps began to echo after he went down some stairs. That's when he heard chanting. Or maybe it was humming? It was hard to tell, even when he got close. That's when he heard another voice, speaking above the chanting/humming, but muffled, as if his head was also covered by a bag.

"What in carnation is that ominily chanting? I can't see anything!" The voice said. It seemed to be an old hillbilly who was talking. In fact, it sounded an awful lot like that crazy old man Dipper had encountered. His name was Ol' Man McGucket, but what was he doing here?

Suddenly, Sans' bag was taken off his head and he was able to observe his surroundings. It was a wide, dark, and damp chamber that echoed and was made out of stone. It was lit up by torch light that was put on pillars. Beside Sans was, indeed, the old hillbilly he had suspected. His bag was pulled off of his head also and he looked around as well. Around them both were cultists in a wide circle. They all had red robes with the symbol of an eye crossed out. None of their faces were visible. In the center of the circle was a metal chair that was able to lock someone into place.

The chanting/humming stopped abruptly as someone came out into the center of the circle next to the chair. Unlike the other cultists, he was in a black and white robe, with a lone blue eye crossed out. Sans groaned as he recognized what this meant. Of course. This cult was meant to keep information away from him. It was not for his eye.

"Today, my friends, we will put two minds of our precious citizens at ease by making what they have seen... UNSEEN!" Everyone else followed his lead by chanting, "UNSEEN". "Bring forth the first civilian."

The cultists behind McGucket moved him towards the chair. However, McGucket continued looking around in shocked fascination. "Gosh golly willikers! Did I drink too much moonshine again?" He shouted as he was placed in the chair and locked into place.

"What have you seen, McGucket?" The cultist in the center asked.

"I built a giant robot an' then there was this horrible noise that made my ears hurt! Then, this guy looked like a monster and attacked my mechanism with a big ol' cigarette!" McGucket explained, not knowing any better.

"Don't worry, ol' man. You'll forget about that creature soon. Very soon." With that, the hooded figure pulled out a strange device. It looked like a gun, but it had mechanisms that didn't fire bullets. Rather, it seemed to do something else. Sans knew. It was the memory gun. The man typed in "MONSTER" onto the screen of the device before aiming it at the hillbilly.

When he pressed the trigger, Sans couldn't help but wonder what it would look like. Of course, he wasn't disappointed. A light blue ray of light went out of the gun and straight into McGucket's head. McGucket's eyes were closed as the gun continued to take the memory and turn it into something else. Suddenly, the stream of light stopped and the gun immediately made a glass tube, presumably filled with the memory. On the outside, it read "McGucket: MONSTER".

The head cultist gave this tube to a nearby cultist before hiding the memory gun away. Then, he turned to McGucket. "Have you seen a monster, McGucket?"

McGucket opened his eyes before exclaiming happily, "Monster? What monster?!"

The cultists suddenly did their own version of a cheer by chanting, "It has been unseen!" in sync. Quickly, McGucket's head was covered by a bag again before being released and lead out of the room. McGucket was laughing as if he didn't notice the fact he was being held captive by a cult. The head cultist then turned to Sans.

"Bring me the second civilian," he ordered. The cultists behind Sans were quick to push and drag him to the chair. He was actually kind of relieved to sit down. He was lazy, after all. He didn't even mind that they put metal cuffs over his wrists. What he was worried about was what he should do next. However, he didn't show this uncertainty as the cult leader approached him, as he did with McGucket.

"What is your name, since I haven't seen you before?" The head cultist asked.

Sans smiled nonchalantly and slyly as he raised his hand a little bit in his cuffs to offer to shake hands. "name's sans. sans pines. do you mind if i ask who you guys are?"

"Well, I guess it won't matter too much, since you will unsee everything here," the head cultist replied, sympathetically.

The cultists took turns taking off their hoods. Some were unfamiliar background characters to Sans, while others were known, but not known personally. A teenage boy with black hair and glasses seemed to shiver. Of course. After what happened to Oka, of course one of her lackeys would choose to join a group that got rid of memories. However, getting rid of memories didn't get rid of the trauma, as evidenced by his twitches and shivers.

One was a car salesman. Another was a lumberjack. However, Sans didn't feel attached to him. In a way, that was good. He didn't want to hurt his friends, nor be betrayed by them. Finally, the head cultist took off his hood, revealing a man entirely bald, with tattoos on his head marking where each though area of the brain was. However, Sans knew from his own experience that there was not a giant part of the brain dedicated to cake, so his mapping was very wrong.

"We are the Society of the Blind Eye. This group was founded by... uh, does anyone remember?" The head cultist asked. Every cultists asked one another, but they all shrugged. "Well, I guess we might've used the gun so much that we forgot, but no matter. We protect people from the horrors of the creatures around us by erasing their memories. We managed to find a way to hack into a computer that has cameras, but for some reason, it's not working. Now, we're going back to doing it manually and just going out into the town and seeing it for ourselves. Any questions?"

"nah. i get it. ignorance is bliss," Sans responded, though he regretted to say those things. "anyways, so are you gonna erase my mind?"

"Yes. We all saw you help those gnomes. After we erase your mind, we'll erase ours, just so it's fair!" The head cultist proposed, causing everyone to cheer. Every cultist put up their hoods in preparation for the ceremony.

"alright. i guess i'll just close my eyes, now," Sans said out loud as he did just that.

"Yes. Soon, it will all be over and you won't remember a thing," the head cultist replied as he dialed in the word, "GNOMES" into the memory gun. Then, he pointed it at Sans and pulled the trigger.

* * *

Sans was within his mind, wandering through his memories. It was strange how because of what happened to G and him, he could easily access the Mindscape without even falling asleep. He was within the Mystery Shack, walking lazily from room to room. However, he had somewhat a sense of urgency. If he didn't hide away in a memory, he might not only lose his memory about the gnomes, but he might lose himself too. He had to hide inside of a memory, but which one?

Suddenly, he found himself in a memory already, though he didn't remember choosing it. Sans was transparent as he walked through the scene, confused as to which on it was. It seemed to be a spring day in a town different from Gravity Falls. He noticed that he was in a park, with a pond right beside him. By all accounts, it really was a beautiful day outside. Birds were singing. Flowers were blooming. A good day to play catch.

Sans paused. That's when he remembered. And right as he remembered, he heard laughter. He turned with tearful eyes to see his own brother, Papyrus, playing with a human boy. The boy was 16 years old at the time. He had brown hair and brown eyes. The boy threw a football at Papyrus, who caught it with a genuine smile.

Sans looked down in the bushes to see himself, hiding and watching the whole thing, paranoid of the young kid. Together, the two Sans listened to their conversation.

"So, I created a new word search for you, Mr. Papyrus. I was wondering if you wanted to try it, since it's for a school project and it would be good to test it," the boy said happily.

"Of course! I'm always willing to solve a puzzle!" Papyrus replied. He sounded more confident than he had been as of late.

"I also thought you might like to play another game of kickball with my friends and I," he continued, before smirking. "I think you really made an impression on them."

"I did? I mean, of course I did! I am great, after all, and so are you, Kris," Papyrus responded, causing the boy to laugh.

Kris pulled out his phone before looking at Papyrus sadly. "That was Ms. Walley. She wants me to go back..."

Papyrus sighed disappointedly. "Yeah... Well, I guess I'll show you some of my japes later."

Kris frowned, before patting Papyrus on the back reassuringly. "I'll tell you what. I can come over tomorrow after school, deal?"

"Deal," Papyrus replied, half-heartedly.

"Alright," Kris said, before running off. "See you tomorrow."

Papyrus only waved, smiling a little before frowning. The memory version of Sans came out of the bushes to meet his brother. "hey, bro. how was your time with kris?"

"It was okay, Sans," his brother answered sadly.

"are you okay? you're usually happy after spending time with kris."

"I don't know, brother..."

"y'know, i bet if people didn't know any better, they might think you two are family," Sans remarked with a smirk and a shrug.

Papyrus was silent for a while, before perking up suddenly. "That's it!"

"what's it, bro?" Sans asked, confused by Papyrus' change in emotions.

"I want to adopt Kris, that way he is a part of our family!" Papyrus exclaimed, confident in his new plan. "I mean, you have a daughter. It is only fitting that both of the skelebros have an adopted human child.

Sans was startled by this proposition. For a while, he looked to be frozen, until his expression changed to a sympathetic smile. Papyrus gave a pleading look at his brother before Sans shrugged.

"alright, paps. you win. kris can be a pines."

Tears filled Papyrus' eyes as he put his hands over his mouth. It was an expression of heartfelt happiness that Papyrus had only done rarely. Then, he put his arms around Sans, crushing the shorter of the two in his strong embrace. Over and over, Papyrus would say, "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

At the time, Sans underestimated how much his decision would affect his life. Sure, there was a new family member and now, Papyrus was technically a father, but he did not take into account how much he would love the human family that had only become related to him because of a seemingly simple choice. Kris was Dipper and Mabel's father, and Sans only wished that he could tell his past self how much he loved those two.

The memory started to darken as the memory erasing process began to end. The memory wasn't going away. He was just waking up. However, he couldn't help but wonder if Papyrus had somehow shown him this memory. If so, why? If not, why was his self-conscious showing him this event specifically? There were so many questions left unanswered, but he had to focus. Soon, it would be time to show these cultists what he could really do.

* * *

Light hit Sans straight in the head and it continued to fire until the gun was done. Then, a tube came out, labeled, "Sans - GNOMES". A cultist took the tube and went into a different chamber to deposit it. When Sans opened his eyes, he scanned his surroundings again as if he had forgotten where he was. Good thing he was good at acting. As he did, he watched as the cultist left down a path and took a mental note to go down there once he was done.

"Sans, have you seen anything odd?" The head cultist asked Sans.

"don't ya think that's an odd question? of course i haven't seen anything odd," Sans replied in his lazy tone of voice.

"IT HAS BEEN UNSEEN!" Everyone exclaimed. Then, the head cultist motioned for some of the cultists. Those two cultists walked up to the chair that Sans was locked in and unlocked the cuffs. They were so calm. It was a surprise for them when Sans lifted his hand and a bone came out of the ground and punched them in the face.

The cultists held their heads in pain as the rest of the Society of the Blund Eye watched in shock as Sans, now in his skeleton monster form, stepped out of the chair and trapped the two cultists behind bars of light blue bones. "blue means stop, unless you wanna get hurt," he warned, before stepping in front of the rest of the cult, ready to take them on. His eye was blazing with a light blue light. This eye was not going to be blinded.

"A skeleton?! How is this possible?" The head cultist shouted in disbelief, before turning to some of his cultists. "Get him!"

"ya see, baldie, no matter how many times you use that memory gun, i will not forget a thing," Sans replied as he made the two cultists who ran after him be thrown against the far wall in front of him. "my ol' man made that gun. i'm afraid it will take more than that to blind my eye from what i've seen."

The cultists circled around him and Sans looked around him carefully, deciding his next course of action. They came up slowly, as if he couldn't see them if they moved slowly... well, that was true. He couldn't exactly see them all the time. He actually only had one working eye, which was blazing a bright blue at the moment. The other was blinded in youth.

Sans smirked. All at once, the cultists lunged towards him. They dog piled on top of one another. They all squirmed as they wrestled to grab the skeleton underneath them... or at least, that's what they thought. They were more than shocked when blue bones surrounded them. Looking around, they saw Sans, grinning like an idiot right next to them in front of the blue bones. He had teleported out of the way.

Suddenly, Sans groaned as his entire body felt heavy. It was as if an unbearable weight was placed on his back. He fell to the ground, gasping for breath as he tried to find a way to get up. He quickly glanced up at the person that was doing this to him and gasped.

It was the head cultist, but something was different about him. His hand was surrounded by bluish-purple magic as he seemed to press down on Sans. His eyes were completely glowing, making it impossible to distinguish the whites of his eyes from the iris and pupils. The cultist's left eye, the same eye that Sans could glow, was glowing a bluish-purple as well, while his right eye was glowing an orangish red.

Occasionally, when Sans blinked, he would see the same scene the same and yet different. His surroundings would become a mix between the code of a computer and the many pages of the multiverse, which provided light for the darkness of the in-between space. The head cultist was no longer himself. He would turn into a skeleton himself, his eyes glowing the same as the cultist's. The skeleton was clothed in what looked like black robes and he had cracks across his left and right eyes. Then, the scene would return to normal, and then flash back to the skeleton as the skeleton and the head cultist walked the same path and spoke the same voice.

 _ **"IF YOU WANT SOMETHING DONE RIGHT, YOU DO IT YOURSELF,"**_ they said at once.

Sans couldn't help but grin. "i shoulda known you were the founder of this little cult, g. a bit too theatric for my tastes, but i dunno what else i expected from you."

 _ **"YOU TEST MY PATIENCE, SANS. I SUGGEST YOU STOP RESISTING NOW,"**_ the cultist/skeleton replied, pressing down more on Sans.

The floor beneath him started to crack, almost as if the ground beneath him was glass. It suddenly occurred to Sans. G wasn't going to stop until he broke through the barrier in his mindscape and joined him in the space between dimensions. However, Sans was helpless. G was too strong. The only thing that could actually give Sans pleasure was if he mocked G more.

"y'know, i tried that once. no payment, no benefits, no breaks, broken promises. i've learned my lesson, g. you didn't give me anything," Sans remarked as he felt his SOUL continue to be pressed against the barrier.

 _ **"I GAVE YOU A CHANCE."**_

"i didn't ask for that, and you know it."

 _ **"I OFFERED YOU GREATNESS!"**_

"yeah. i guess that is the only thing you actually delivered. i'll give you props," Sans replied as he chuckled and clapped his hands as best as he could. "you gave me the great papyrus."

The cultist/skeleton's face twisted into a scowl. _**"YOU'RE WASTING YOUR TIME. IF BRINGING YOU HERE IS ENOUGH TO SAVE THE WORLD AND MAKE YOU HAVE SOME COMMON SENSE, THEN I'LL DO IT!"**_

"you? the skeleton who knew a demon was a demon and still made a deal with them? how are you of all people going to give me common sense?!"

 _ **"TIME'S UP."**_

The cultist/skeleton lunged at Sans, pulling out a bone sharpened to a knife point. He stood over Sans triumphantly as he held onto one of Sans' feet and then struck the knife into the ground. Time went slowly for him and he was aware of the sound of glass shattering around him, and with it, his surroundings broke into pieces. Luckily, despite the falling sensation, he no longer felt the weight on his back and he quick repositioned himself so that he could grab onto the ledge of the crumbling reality around him.

Sans sighed, before realizing that the cultist/skeleton was holding on firmly to his foot. He held on to the ledge as hard as he could, trying desperately to ignore the person that was climbing up his legs, slowly. He couldn't do anything about it. His hands were tied. This was it. He wouldn't ever see his family again. He didn't even get to say goodbye. Sans was surprised to find that tears swimmer in his eyes. He wasn't one to cry, but he didn't want to leave. He closed his eyes as a single tear dropped down his cheek from his blind eye. His eye that never glowed.

 _"Sans!"_

Impossible... Sans must've been delusional. Maybe it was because he was about to die, in a way. I mean, how could it be? It was just a hallucination.

 _"Sans!"_

There it was again. It was too good to be true, but, almost completely in instinct, he answered. "papyrus?"

He opened his eyes and they widened when he saw what was in front of him. In the real world, it was the boy that used to follow Oka. However, both eyes were glowing an orangish-red and he had a kind, sad, and somewhat teasing smile. However, whenever the world glitched, he saw him. It was him. There he was, the Great Papyrus, looking down at him with his hands on his hips with the same expression as the boy he possessed.

 _"Get up, you lazy bones,"_ he said in a teasing, yet worried demeanor. He crouched down and stretched out his hand to his brother. _"Grab my hand!"_

Sans smiled warmly. He didn't have to be told twice by his brother (though he did when he was lazy and it wasn't a life and death situation, but that doesn't count). He grabbed on, before letting go of the edge with his other hand. He knew his brother was strong. He could hold his ground. Papyrus/the boy let out a breath as Sans' full weight was allowed to dangle from their one arm. With this new freedom, Sans snapped his fingers, causing cultist/skeleton's SOUL to turn blue. Then, without any hesitation, he threw them at the ceiling.

They hit the ceiling with a big thud. With the impact, the magic and the skeleton were knocked right out of the head cultist, allowing Sans to place the head cultist a little ways away on the floor, surrounded by blue bones. Papyrus/the boy let out a groan as they lifted Sans out of the break in reality. Once he was finally on solid ground again, the hole in reality sealed up, leaving Sans panting on the ground on his back, with his bro right beside him.

"papy... bro... thank you," Sans said, trying to catch his breath and collect his emotions. However, the boy/Papyrus kneeled right beside him, smiling.

 _"I have to go, brother,"_ Papyrus explained, sadly, before putting his head right against his brother's. _"Don't forget. I'm with you in the dark."_

With that, the boy that Papyrus was possessing walked a little ways away before collapsing. Despite being on the ground, Sans lifted an arm straight towards the sky and blue bones appeared around him. He panted as he tried to wipe the sweat off of his forehead. When he finally thought that his legs wouldn't give out from under him, he got up and scanned the area. Every cultist was moaning inside the chamber, trying desperately not to touch the blue bones around them. He needed to find a less magical way of trapping them.

"NGGGGGAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" A battle cry echoed down the hall. Before Sans could even process what was going on, Undyne reached the chamber. She was in her monster form, her eye blazing with fury and a spear looking like it had electricity cording around it. "I'LL KILL THOSE JERKS IF IT'S THE LAST THING I-!"

Undyne panted as she scanned around the room in shock. Then, she spotted Sans and a scowl appeared on her face. She made her spear disappear. "Couldn't you have left one for me?"

"sorry... i was about to lose my memory," Sans said with a shrug, partially lying about losing his memory.

"Undyne? What happened? What's going on?" Another voice echoed down the hall with concern and worry in her voice. However, there were two pairs of footsteps it seemed. Sans smiled as Toriel came in, with a human child by her side.

The girl beside Toriel looked to be very young. She was ten at the most. She had shoulder length auburn hair and violet eyes that were sometimes hidden by her glasses when the light hit it right. She wore a red hoodie with a gray overcoat over it and blue denim shorts with high top sneakers. Around her shoulder was the strap to a small bag with the Delta Rune symbol on it. When she stopped beside Toriel, a nervous look crossed her face before she hugged the side of her teacher and monster mother.

In response, Toriel rubbed the young girl's head reassuringly before looking at both Undyne and Sans. "Sans. Are you alright?" She asked, worriedly.

Sans couldn't help but blush. "yeah. just a bit tired. these guys put up a fight."

"I would've loved to fight them, then," Undyne muttered angrily before approaching one of the unconscious cultists in their blue bone cage. Then, she turned to Toriel and looked pointedly at the girl. "Do you think she can tie these guys up so that Sans can take a break?"

Toriel looked down on the girl. The girl got off of her before the schoolteacher kneeled to her eye-level. "Do you think you can tie these people up with your PERSEVERANCE?"

The girl looked down at her feet. She clearly was a little shy, but once Toriel put a comforting hand to her cheek, she finally looked up and tried to muster as much confidence as she could. "Y-yes, Ms. Toriel."

With that, she stood up and looked at one of the people in the bone cages. She put her hands together and moved them together a little bit, as if she were forming a snowball out of nothing. However, there was something in her hands. Her violet eyes began to glow a dim purple color as bright purple magic began to form in her hands. Then, she pulled her hands apart, revealing a string on purple magic between both of her hands.

Holding one end of the string, she threw the other end through the bars. The purple magic did the rest as it grew longer in length and spun around the man until he was surrounded by a cocoon of PERSEVERANT magic. She nodded at Sans, who let the light blue bones fall, letting out a sigh of relief. Then, she rolled the other end of the string a little until it became longer and threw it at another person in a cage. This time, after the man was cocooned, the end of the string came back to her so that she could do it over and over again.

Undyne smiled a toothy, but friendly, grin. "Hey. Who is this kid?"

"That would be Emmie," Toriel replied with a smile. "She is one of the youngest kids in my school to master her sorcerer magic. Of course, that required tons of PERSEVERANCE. I bet you can guess her trait. When you told me to bring any help I thought you might need, I thought that Emmie would be a fine choice this time."

"how did you guys know i was here?" Sans asked as one by one, he lowered each bone cage and felt less stressed.

"Alphys was curious, and so she watched you until the cultists led you to their base. Did you know you're right under the Natural History Museum? It's crazy!" Undyne responded enthusiastically. "By then, I decided to call the calvary. I called Toriel and told her to come, and she brought Emmie. Then, we managed to find the secret entrance and here we are."

"well, you sure came to save my skin, though i must admit i don't have any," Sans joked with a wink.

"All done!" Emmie announced in a triumphant, sing-songs voice. Sure enough, all of the cultists were surrounded by cocoons connected to each other and she held onto the other side of the string. "What should I tie them up to?"

"How about that pillar, my child?" Toriel said, pointing at one of the large pillars in the room. Without any hesitation, she through the end of the string around the pillar, where it carefully brought the cultists around the pillar as it wrapped around it multiple times. When it finally stopped, Emmie went behind the pillar and wrapped the end of the string of magic underneath a group of the many tight strings that wrapped around it. Then, she rejoined Toriel, standing a little taller and a little less scared.

However, now they had many cultists tied to a pillar, and as much as they hoped Emmie's magic would last, they knew that human magic usually never lasted more than a couple of days. Then, the cultist would go back to erasing people's memories. It would be like nothing happened. What was even worse was that now, the many members of the Cult of the Blind Eye were now waking up and grumbling, groaning, and complaining.

"What should we do with them, Sans?" Undyne asked in an annoyed tone.

Sans didn't answer. However, a glimmer in the corner of his eye made him notice something. Teleporting to it, he picked up the Memory Gun, which was dropped during fighting. A conflict arose in Sans. He came here to stop the erasure of memories, yet here he was, wondering if erasing the memories of these cultists was the best move. It went against everything he believed. Then again, they had seen monsters and their whole lives seemed to revolve around this cult. Maybe he could forgive himself this time.

He turned back to the cultists and aimed the gun at them. The response was instant. They all began to protest and plea. Undyne merely looked on in curiosity, along with Toriel and Emmie.

"What's that?" Undyne asked.

"this is how they were able to erase memories. if we let them go, they'll go on talking about monsters or start the cult again. we can't let that happen," Sans reasoned as she moved the dial until it said, "THE CULT OF THE BLIND EYE AND MONSTERS". "just this once, let's make things right."

"Agreed," Undyne replied. Sans looked to Toriel, who nodded solemnly. His choice was made. With as much DETERMINATION as he could muster, he pressed the trigger and closed his eyes.

* * *

When he returned home, he was tired and had three things in his pocket.

The first two were Dipper and Mabel's memories. It was amazing how memories could fit in a tiny tube. He searched for what seemed like hours in that vault that held the many memories of the weird and strange in Gravity Falls. He yearned for the day he could give everyone back their memories, but he couldn't right now. Some of those memories had to do with monsters. And the Monster Council would not be happy. However, Dipper and Mabel could handle it, and so could all of the children in Toriel's school. All of their memories were returned, and yet there was still a large amount of memories left. He couldn't do more at this time.

The third thing was the memory gun. He didn't plan on using. On the contrary, he hoped no one would. However, the best hands to place it in was his own, and he didn't have it in his heart to destroy G's things. It was a weakness he hated, but couldn't break. However, he held onto it, for hope that it wouldn't ever be stolen when he wasn't looking, when he watched Dipper and Mabel watch their memories return.

The first was Dipper's. It started out with Dipper sitting in the metal chair, talking to the cult.

"There was this crazy old man. He seemed like a prospector. He called himself McGucket," Dipper said, almost as if he were at gun point. "He told me there was a Gobblewonker in the lake around Scuttlebutt Island. I wanted to take a picture, and I went with the crazy man."

"Eventually, we found it, and it thrashed us about. We even got eaten by it. While we were in the stomach, I found a map. It was important or something. Then, the Gobblewonker threw us up for some reason and we went on our way."

"With the Cult of the Blind Eye, you won't have to worry about Gobblewonkers anymore," a voice said, presumably the head cultist. However, Dipper seemed to be taken back by this.

"Wait! Wait, what?! No!" He yelled, before he was hit with a beam. Immediately after that, the screen went static. Dipper seemed rigid, as if he was scared of this new revelation. However, next came Mabel's memories. Now, she was in the metal chair.

"So, Pacifica Northwest is the worst!" Mabel started, not at all concerned about the cult around her. "I was at the mini golf championships and guess what? She was there! Pretending she was better! I said, 'Well, two can play at this game,' and we challenged each other."

"But then, there was this other group of people. They looked like teenagers, but I learned they actually looked young for being centuries old. They kept on following us and playing tricks on the two of us! One time, I felt like I was on Smile Dip again and I couldn't stand straight or walk straight if I could. Then, with Pacifica, they made it so that the entire course was flooded with water when it was her turn. It was hilarious."

"I hated that group and I was told they were warlocks and witches. They were like half-monster, half-human? They apparently live long lives, but suffer from health problems early despite how young they look, and they can do magic, but not very powerful magic. Eventually, Pacifica and I defeated them with a temporary alliance, but I still hate her."

"With the help of us, you no longer need to worry about warlocks," the head cultist repeated again, before blasting Mabel with the gun. The screen went static, and this time, it was for good.

The silence was awkward, but eventually, Mabel and Dipper turned around at once. However, Sans didn't expect tears to be in their eyes. Then, he remembered that these guys had an entire day ripped out of their memory, one that could possibly be the best days of their lives. Of course they would feel angry, scared, and sad.

Sans sighed sadly as he opened up his arms for them. They quickly accepted the hug. Mabel started to sob into Sans' jacket, as Dipper merely stared into space. Now they remembered, and it hurt that they couldn't before.

"I-I *sob* can't believe they could cause me to not remember!" Mabel said through each gasp and sob.

"i know, baby bones. i know," Sans reassured as he pulled the twins close to him.

"No one has the right to do that!" Dipper replied angrily. "No one has the right to take away my memories."

"i know. i know. luckily, that group has gotten a taste of their own medicine. it's all over now," Sans explained, patting Dipper's head.

"But where is the memory gun?" Dipper asked.

"i promise i'm gonna put it in a safe place. no one deserves this power, but we gotta watch over it and if the needs are dire, we could use it to our best advantage," Sans continued, before smiling kindly at his niece and nephew. "i promise i won't use it on you, or anyone else in this town."

"Okay."

"now, how about we have some cake while you guys explain to me everything that you did today," Sans suggested, standing up from the couch as he led the way to the kitchen.

Dipper and Mabel smirked.

"Dunkle Sans..." Dipper started.

Mabel continued the sentence. "You will never believe what we did today."

* * *

It was dark outside. The weather was cold. The moon shone down upon the sleeping town. Little did the townspeople know that a storm was coming their way and that now, they would actually be able to remember it. Of course, that didn't matter too much.

What did matter was when Sans quietly went down the stairs and went into the store part of the Mystery Shack. He didn't have his jacket on. Only his white t-shirt, his black exercise shorts, and his pink slippers. He pulled out the memory gun as he approached a vending machine. He inspected it in his hand for a while before checking the area around him. No one was around. Then, he started pressing the buttons on the vending machine in a certain away.

A click signaled that the code was correct, and he slowly opened the door hidden by the vending machine. Then, he entered it. What he was doing was up for anyone's guess.

Clearly, it was a secret.

* * *

TEL EXP KL COFBKAP, KL CXJB, XKA KL ZEXKZB QL YB X OLVXI DRXOA?

 **X OBA PZXOC**

* * *

 **A/N I'M SO FREAKING EXCITED! NEXT CHAPTER WILL CHANGE EVERYTHING! You will see familiar faces! You will see dancing! There will be "DRAMA! ACTION! BLOODSHED!"**

 **Up next: Revenge of the Killer Robot**


	13. Revenge of the Killer Robot

**A/N: Hey guys! I'm back! I'm gonna make this short and say that I'm glad to be back. One more chapter before an amazing chapter will come out. I'm excited. We have at least 12 chapters until the next Arc Ender, so let's get on with it!**

 **Discord:** /UzHrb69

It became a common sight in the Mystery Shack to be filled to the brim with preteen girls. Today was no exception. However, the girls were more jumpy and excited than ever. It was the day of the Mettaton live show. Dipper couldn't have cared less about the show and the same could be said about Dunkle Sans.

"I'm so excited! Are you excited?!" Mabel shouted with joy with every single Mettaton memorabilia on the planet on her body.

Candy, Grenda, and MK didn't respond in the way the definition of "respond" would imply. Rather, they shrieked to the heavens with excitement. MK had gotten all of them tickets to the live show, including Dipper, but excluding Dunkle Sans who wanted nothing to do with Mettaton. Dipper covered his ears as he tried to read the Journal. There was an interesting section about soul types, though he was having trouble understanding it in monster terms, and Mabel and her friends weren't making it any easier. Often times, he would try reading aloud to understand, but... well...

"Persever-"

"I CAN'T WAIT!"

"Persevera-"

"METTATON'S GREAT!"

"Perseveran-"

"DANCING!"

"Ugh!" Dipper cried out, temporarily causing the girls to go silent. "Can't you guys 'fangirl' somewhere else? I'm trying to understand human soul types."

"Maybe you should stop being a killjoy, Bro-bro," Mabel replied with a teasing smile. "Besides, who wouldn't be excited about seeing a robot dance, sing, and act?"

Dipper raised his hand, but he was ignored. Sometimes, he wished he was like Sans, where he had a room all to himself. Dunkle Sans was smart, because he didn't even come out of his room this morning. He just knew it was better to stay there and wait out the Mettaton craze. Unfortunately, there was no escaping it for Dipper. Frustrated, he moved to the store front to avoid the worst of the high pitched squeals.

"Hey, Dipper," Soos greeted. Dipper turned to see the handyman next to the single vending machine in the shack. "Trying to escape the Mettaton hype?"

"Yeah. It's just annoying when I have stuff to focus on and study!" Dipper complained.

"Dude, I totally agree. I mean, I tried one of Mettaton's rectangular face-reshaping doodads," the handyman explained, before getting a serious look on his face. "He's dead to me."

"What's so wrong with Mettaton?" Wendy interrupted with a questioning tone.

Despite having a crush on Wendy, Dipper couldn't hide his contempt for Mettaton. "Do you want to get me started?" He asked, arms crossed. Soos followed suit, nodding in agreement.

Wendy put a hand to her head and sighed before replying. "No. I mean what is wrong with Mabel and her friends fangirling over Mettaton?"

"It's just so frustrating. Here I am, trying to find out everything about monsterkind and magic and souls, and Mabel's over there just... being a distraction! She even invited me to come with them!" Dipper ranted.

"Look, Dipper. Let me be real with you for one second," Wendy started with a concerned look. She stood up and walked away from the cash register. Then, she bent down and held onto Dipper's shoulder, causing him to blush. "You have been busy working yourself to death after what happened to you in Judgement Hall with Chara and Sans."

Dipper looked down at his feet as Wendy continued. "That's your way of coping with what happened, but did you ever remember that Mabel was there too? All of us were there, Dipper. I even broke a leg! I would still be in crutches if Toriel hadn't-"

Suddenly, a tourist came through the front door. Quickly, Wendy stopped her monster talk. She smiled and waved at the man. "Welcome to the Mystery Shack," she greeted in her usual way, before turning back to Dipper with a serious look.

"The point is, we're all trying to cope with what happened in our own ways, and the fact is, you, Mabel, and Sans were the ones who were the most affected by what happened. Mabel's way to cope is by spending time with her friends and partying without thinking about it. You like to study about how you could've stopped it. I'm not a mental health expert, but neither of you are coping with it effectively. I suggest you stop being such a big stick in the mud and go with Mabel and her friends. Have some fun. Then, after that, you might be able to talk to her about what happened."

It suddenly struck Dipper. No. He never really did address what happened. Sure, Sans may have talked it over with Dipper and Mabel, but Dipper never talked privately with Mabel. What Wendy said explained a lot of things. Ever since the event, Mabel had worried over Dipper more and was more emotional, to the point of crying when Dipper got a paper cut. She also went to the karaoke party and never stopped hanging out with Grenda, Candy, and MK. Maybe those were coping mechanisms. Maybe Mabel was more scarred than he thought.

Dipper felt awful. All this time, he'd been studying to get to know his Dunkle. Studying to understand this new world. Studying to see how he could've stopped Chara and how to stop a Chara event from happening in the future, and yet he neglected his twin sister. They didn't even discuss it between the two of them. After talking about it with Sans, he marked the event as over. But it never was over. There was no way to sweep it under the rug. Until he talked with Mabel, it would never go away easily.

Dipper sighed. "Maybe you're right, Wendy."

Wendy rolled her eyes playfully as she smiled. "Of course I'm right. Go to Mettaton's show, even if you hate his guts. If you won't do it for yourself, then please, for heaven's sakes, do it for Mabel."

Dipper smiled a bit. However, he was unsure about this. Research was his top priority and to do this would make him unknowledgeable in the subject and- Maybe Wendy was right. He was working himself too hard. Sure, he didn't like Mettaton, but maybe, just once, he could take his mind off of his work and meet Mabel halfway. He did feel like his relationship with Mable suffered a bit from what happened. If this was how he could get through to her, he would do it.

"Okay. I'll do it, but don't expect me to become a crazy Mettaton fan," Dipper replied.

Wendy smirked. "I never said you should. Now, go in there and talk to her."

After Dipper left the room, ready to confront his sister, Wendy went back to the register. Soos looked at her in amazement.

"Dude, that was so wise. How did you do that?" Soos asked.

Wendy just shrugged. "Did I sound too wise? I just want to be the right amount of wise where I'm not uncool."

"No, dawg. You sounded like the role model type of wise, and those guys are always cool," he reassured her.

"Well, just as long as it helps. I have a feeling that those two need to communicate more."

* * *

Dipper had just entered the living room and taken a few steps away from the door when he suddenly collided with someone. He fell down with a thud, as did the other person. As he sat up and put a hand to his head, he thought he heard something. It was faint, and it almost sounded like a song. However, he was distracted when the person finally spoke.

"Oh my gosh! Dipper, I'm so sorry!" MK apologized as she stood up and offered a hand under her poncho for him to take.

He took it and she helped him to his feet. She blushed in embarrassment. "No. I'm sorry," Dipper corrected. "I should've been watching where I was going. So, where were you going?"

"Oh! Um... You see, I wasn't sure where you went and Mabel wanted me to find you," MK explained, looking down at her feet. Then she looked up. "Yo! I was wondering if you were going to the Mettaton show. I know I offered before and you said no, but I thought, 'Yo! Maybe he's changed his mind for some odd reason'. I know it's stupid... Maybe I should stop bothering you..."

"MK, are you okay?" Dipper asked. MK didn't answer but he seemed to be able to tell what she was thinking. Maybe Mabel wasn't the only one he was neglecting since the incident. "You know that I'm friends with you too, right?"

"Yeah. I know. I just... I dunno. It's stupid," MK stuttered, the red in her cheeks never leaving.

Dipper smiled. "You aren't bothering me. In fact, you are right. I think I might come with you guys."

MK looked up, a look of surprise on her face before she grinned ear-to-ear. "Really?! You're really coming?!"

He nodded and suddenly, MK was bouncing. Then, she hugged him, shocking him for a bit. "Thank you! Thank you, Dipper!" She pulled away as she started to try and contain her obvious excitement. "I promise you won't regret coming! I mean, I was mostly worried because if you weren't coming, that would've been a wasted seat, but you are coming! Wait until Mabel finds out!"

"I know!" Mabel's voice came from the stairs above. Dipper looked up to see his sister, nearly bursting with happiness, along with Candy and Grenda. Her grin didn't seem to shrink as she came down the stairs and stood in front of Dipper with her Mettaton sweater on. "We are going to have the time of our lives, Dipper!"

"Maybe," he replied hesitantly. He was immediately intimidated. He was about to join a bunch of fans who knew everything there was to know about Mettaton. In fact, Grenda was holding a Mettaton Trivial Pursuit. He felt doomed, in a way, to be forcefully educated in the way of the robotic TV host.

"Didn't you hear that there's a surprise?" Candy added. "There's going to be a surprise event that will happen during the show, according to a blogger. However, no one knows what it is and it will only happen during the Gravity Falls performance!"

"Yo! No way! You're pulling my leg!" MK interjected. "I hope it's free merchandise!"

"I bet it's backstage passes!" Mabel squealed as she jumped up and down. "I'm going to ask Mettaton every question in the entire world! He's a computer. I bet he'll know my answers."

"But… you google the answers on any computer too, right? Am I the odd one out here?" Dipper remarked. He immediately knew his answer when the girls completely ignored his point. Mabel and Candy linked arms with Dipper.

"Well, we need to get you ready!" Mabel said happily as the girls started to whisk him back to his room. "You have to know all of the references."

"Oh no…" Dipper whispered under his breath. He regretted his decision. He regretted it so much. Why did Wendy talk him into this? He hoped the day would end sooner, rather than later.

* * *

To be honest, the girls weren't good at teaching him references or anything about Mettaton culture. Here he was, standing in line for a live show featuring Mettaton, and he knew next to nothing. He only knew bits and pieces, like how he sings and some of his dance style. Mabel had out on the original "Attack of the Killer Robot" show on the television and the girls didn't seem too interested in the beginning. They just talked through it. For Dipper, however, that was the most interesting part.

There was no context. No reasoning. There was just a child, no older than the Pines Twins were exiting a building into a lava wasteland. That was it. It started there and went on. Later that night, after the girls had their fun, dancing during the grand finale that Dipper barely paid attention to, he realized where that was. The building looked exactly like the laboratory he had entered in the Underground. It took him a while because he hated to remember Chara, but it was the lab. It also explained the lava wasteland surrounding it. However, many questions kept Dipper partially awake.

Who was that child? Why was Mettaton after them? What was up with the dancing near the end? It didn't make sense.

Dipper barely paid attention to the line as it inched forward. In front of them was Sheriff Blubs and Deputy Durland. Sheriff Blubs was holding tons of Mettaton plushness while his deputy was holding flags. Both of them wore Mettaton shirts, much like Mabel's friends.

"I can't wait to see drama and violence! Go Mettaton!" Deputy Durland cheered, waving his flags around.

The sheriff laughed. "Nothing can bring your spirit down!"

Soon, Dipper and the girls were nearing the entrance. Over the entrance was a number that continued to grow. It was in the 80s now. As people entered, the number went up. This was probably the surprise, Dipper concluded. Maybe it was to count the number of t-shirts needed. As they finally reached the booth and showed a woman their tickets, the number was in the 90s. However, when Dipper gave his ticket to the woman and she scanned it, a fanfare suddenly blared. When everybody looked up, the number, "100" was flashing. The woman smiled.

"Please wait here," she instructed Dipper. Before anyone could ask, she pulled out a microphone and spoke into it, alerting everyone with the entire outdoor theater. "ATTENTION EVERYONE! THIS BOY IS OUR 100TH FAN! HE WILL GET A SPECIAL SURPRISE FROM OUR VERY OWN METTATON!"

Before Dipper could protest, stagehands quickly descended upon the boy and pulled him through the crowd of adoring fans. People screamed and shouted, either congratulating him or complaining about how they wished they could be him. As far as Dipper was concerned, he would gladly have wanted to trade places, but apparently the rules were strict. As the crowd separated him from Mabel and her friends, he heard Mabel shout from behind him.

"BYE DIPPER! REMEMBER: EMBRACE THE SPOTLIGHT!"

Embrace the spotlight? Yeah right. Mabel's advice was useless. He wasn't going to be on stage. They said the 100th fan would get a surprise. Well, he was probably going backstage to meet Mettaton and get autographs. There was no way he was going on stage. However, to be the best brother he could, he vowed to get some photos with Mettaton's signature for Mabel and her friends.

The stagehands led him onto the stage, before leading him behind the giant red curtain. Once they were behind some of the convincing props, the two stagehands stopped. They turned towards Dipper with stern looks on their faces.

"What's your name?" one of the stagehands asked, pulling out her clipboard and pen.

"Uhmmm... Well, my full name is Mason "Dipper" Pines," he answered, a little unsure of what else to say.

"Are you or any of your relatives a monster?" she continued.

This question surprised Dipper, mostly because if he was a human, they were jeopardizing the agreement made during the Monster Council. He had just read that humans were not to know about monsters just yet. Why ask a question like that? However, he answered honestly, because this was Mettaton that was running the show. There was no reason to lie.

"Yeah. My grandpa was a monster and my great uncle is one," Dipper responded. The lady nodded as she wrote that down. Then, she put her pen behind her ear and walked off with her clipboard, leaving Dipper with the other stagehand.

Next, the other stagehand finally spoke, pulling out his own clipboard and pen. "Now for the important questions. Do you prefer savory flavors or sweet flavors?"

"W-well, that depends on the food," he reasoned, not sure how these questions were important.

"Would you prefer a Starfait or a Glamburger?" The stagehand asked, clarifying the question.

"Uh... Starfait, I guess."

"Licorice or non-licorice?"

"Non-licorice."

"Alright. Finally, do you promise to not mention a word about what you see behind here to any human not related to a monster and do you accept all responsibility if you break this promise and expose the monster world, disobeying the law of the Monster Council?"

"Yes," Dipper responded confidently.

"Please wait right here until Mindy comes to get you," the stagehand stated before leaving.

"Alright..." Dipper muttered as he stood in the middle of the busy backstage. Magic was everywhere backstage. It seemed that most of the props were imbued with magic. This was proven by the fact that one person dropped a pink tile on the ground and a bunch of randomly colored tiles popped up in a certain configuration. Another stagehand brought a piece of fake wall. However, as soon as it was put into place, it didn't just create more walls. It seemed as though it created its own world and setting. It was a lava wasteland setting, and Dipper could almost feel the heat.

A lady soon appeared amongst the chaos. She looked to be very professional. She wore a tuxedo and high heels. Her bright red hair was tied up into a bun and her glasses sat on the bridge of her nose. She looked down at her clipboard and read some of the information silently to herself. What made her seem something other than human was the fact that her irises seemed to dance like flames. Those same eyes found Dipper among the madness and she ran towards him.

She stood in front of him, muttering to herself. "We are an hour from showtime and I still have so much to do." Then, she put on a smile and looked up at him. "Hello, Dipper. My name is Mindy. Nice to meet you too! Sorry, we are just a bit behind schedule. Before you respond to even a word I'm saying, you're just gonna have to follow me because the host wants to see you, okay? Okay! C'mon!"

Dipper stood there for a bit, trying to process whether to respond or not, before realizing Mindy was not slowing her pace, nor was she checking to see if he was following behind. He speed walked until he was behind her. They walked through what seemed like a labyrinth, making Dipper wonder when the backstage was this big. Eventually, they reached a door with a star on the front. It was universal what this meant. Clearly, a celebrity was within. However, the door was slightly ajar and a man in a tuxedo waited next to the door. He could hear a metallic voice of a robot talking and occasionally singing.

Mindy nodded at the butler, who merely opened the door, allowing the two to enter. Dipper timidly peeked around the corner to see the star himself: Mettaton. Even Dipper had to admit it was one thing to see him on TV, but a completely other to see him in person. His body was completely made out of metal. He had long metallic legs that ended in pink high heels. His torso was pink with buttons and a speaker on the sides. Around his hip was a heart held in a glass container. His metallic face was admittedly handsome for a robot. He had long black hair that went in front of one of his eyes while his other was shown, making him seem like a rockstar. His arms were long and metallic as well.

The robotic TV star sat sideways in his chair, his legs dangling off of the arm rest. Next to him was another man in a tuxedo, who held a piece of paper. The man seemed to be reading it, but Mettaton was too busy looking in the mirror and flattering the people around him to listen. He even ate tiny entrees as the man spoke. However, when Mindy knocked on the door to announce Dipper and her arrival, Mettaton was quick to turn around.

"Mettaton, I have your 100th fan right here. His name is Dipper," Mindy introduced as she basically dragged Dipper by the arm to Mettaton.

"Well, my stars!" Mettaton exclaimed excitedly, quieting his entire dressing room. Mettaton was quick to look carefully at Dipper. He didn't seem to be critiquing Dipper's appearance. Rather, he seemed to be so pleased by Dipper's appearance that he wished to inspect every inch of him. "You are the making of a star, darling!"

"Mettaton, please! We have to rehearse for your number!" The man in the tuxedo stated sternly. "You must practice from the line, 'Monster King forbids your stay'."

"Oh please, Walter, I was the one who wrote the song," Mettaton remarked in an unconcerned manner. "Now, can all of you be a dear and leave for a bit so I can talk with my little star?"

Walter huffed as he exited the room, while the others seemed to not care whether they were dismissed or not. Everyone in the dressing room left, except for Mindy, Dipper, and Mettaton himself. Mettaton smiled as he pressed a button and a fancy recliner popped up from the floor.

"Please sit down, darling!" He said, encouragingly. Dipper sat down, a little out of his element. Sans had painted Mettaton as being the picture of pure commercialism, but upon talking to him (or rather Mettaton talking to him), Dipper actually found the robotic host rather hospitable and genuine. He seemed genuinely happy about Dipper and seemed to actually be interested in who Dipper was. Maybe he really was the star that anyone would want to be friends with.

"Mettaton, here is the paper full of Dipper's info. The most important are at the bottom," Mindy explained as she gave Mettaton a paper from her clipboard. "Now, if you excuse me, I have some work to do."

"Don't work yourself too hard, dear Mindy," he commented as Mindy exited the room.

"I can't make any promises." Then, she was gone, leaving Dipper with the tremendously popular TV star. He took a deep breath while he decided what to say.

"Look, Mettaton, I'm flattered to be here, but-"

"Give me a moment, darling!" He interrupted as he read through parts of the paper Mindy gave him, skipping over a few unimportant details. He then ripped the paper, allowing the two pieces to fall to the floor. He rang a bell and the butler outside came in. "Can you be a dear and bring in a shrimp cocktail with a couple of non-licorice monster candy on the side?" The butler nodded and left immediately.

He looked at Dipper expectantly. "Now, my star, tell me everything about you, time permitting of course."

"Well, my sister is a big fan of yours and-" Suddenly, the butler came in, holding in his hands a plate with a martini glass on it. The glass was filled to the brim with red cocktail sauce and had shrimp dangling from the side. On the plate were two candies.

"Your food, sir," the butler said as he handed the plates to Dipper and Mettaton.

"Thank you, Gregory," Mettaton replied as the butler went back to his position outside the door. "Now, as you were saying?"

"My twin sister, Mabel, is a big fan of yours. She's more of a fan than me, I'm afraid," Dipper admitted, before taking one of the shrimps and dipping it in the sauce. Taking a bite, he nodded happily at how good it was.

"Oh please, Dipper, all fans are the same. There is no fan hierarchy, the way I see it. Only fans," he answered with reassuring smile.

"In a way, I guess. Anyways, she brought all of her friends and I didn't expect to be chosen at all," he continued. "My only wish is that you give her and her friends photographs of you with your signature. I don't want her to be cheated out of meeting her hero and not get anything from it, if you know what I'm saying."

"Oh, I understand completely, darling," Mettaton responded with an understanding look. "I'll do it, especially since you will be doing a special favor for me."

"What is it?" Dipper asked as he unwrapped one of the candies and popped it into his mouth. It had a distinctive non-licorice flavor that couldn't exactly be described.

"I'm so glad you asked," he replied. It seemed as though his expression brightened upon hearing the question. "You see, every show has behind the scenes tours, backstage tickets, etc. It's all very boring and dull, in my opinion. No. I don't just want fans to meet me or see what's happening behind the scenes. No show so far has ever had a fan be a part of the action. That's why this is different."

"You, Dipper, are going to be part of the performance." Dipper nearly choked on the non-licorice tasting candy. Mettaton smiled knowingly. "How exciting! All this time you thought I was joking when I said you have the making of a star, darling. You are perfect."

"Now, I know you must be worried. I know I would be if I were you. Then again, I would know I could trust my life with good ol' Mettaton," he continued as he pulled off of his dresser another clipboard and inspected it carefully, with a pen in his other hand. "My promise, darling, is that no harm will come to you. It's all just acting, you see. Have you seen my act, Attack of the Killer Robot?"

"Only bits and pieces. I haven't studied it or anything," Dipper admitted as he finished his shrimp.

"Well, it doesn't matter as long as you know the subject matter. Now, I'll put you in the frame of mind for acting," Mettaton replied as he read the paper some more and talked. "You're a human who has fallen into a land of… unspecified dangers, since this is a treaty abiding show. You following me, darling?"

"I understand well enough," he said, popping in the last monster candy into his mouth. Dipper understood that Mettaton would've said monsters. However, some humans in the audience wouldn't know about monster society. It would violate the treaty to mention monsters, but apparently, it wasn't violated by having a robotic television host on the air.

"Now, you have made it past puzzles and warriors and you encounter Dr. Alphys, who accidentally created a murderous robot who plans to murder you in various way. This robot is portrayed as yours truly," he continued, putting one of his hands to his chest from the flattery he gave himself. "Now, what you don't know is that this hot, yet murderous robot is not actually programmed to be murderous and was a clever ploy to make you like Dr. Alphys and view her as a hero. At the end, the robot revolts against Dr. Alphys, Dr. Alphys tries to save you, etcetera, etcetera. You follow?"

Dipper's mind spun from the amount of information, but as he processed it, he found that it was a fairly simple storyline. All he had to do was act like a helpless human, trying to survive against all odds. Easy. "I follow you."

"See? I knew you were a bright boy. You are the making of a star, Dipper," Mettaton complimented. "Now, as I said, there will be no harm done to your body or SOUL. I am great at acting like I am attacking someone. All you have to do is act like you were hurt when I 'attack' you. You'll know when it happens. Like I said, it's all a show, and you're the star! This is your debut."

Mettaton rang a bell and Gregory came in again. "Can you bring the earbud for the 1,000th fan? Thanks. You're a dear."

Within 30 seconds, Gregory came back with a tiny earbud. Mettaton took it and gave it to Dipper. "Put this in your ear. Now, someone will help lead you through the areas. Sometimes, the audience will hear what she's saying. Other times, they won't. Either way, you will know when to act. She will be in character when you should act. She will be your other help in this." Without any further prompting, Dipper put the tiny earpiece in his ear. Mettaton looked at his watch and smiled.

"Now, since we have a few minutes, tell me about yourself. I know all about your sister, but I want to know you!"

"What do you want me to tell you?" Dipper asked, unsure of what to say.

"How old are you, darling?" Mettaton replied.

"I'm 12 years old. I live in California, but I'm visiting family. My great-uncle."

"That's right! Your great-uncle is a monster. Do you know your grandfather personally?"

"No. He died before I was born. I heard he was a great guy, though," Dipper answered sadly.

"Ah, the brightest stars are the first to burn out, darling. However, it is always worth it," Mettaton mused with an understanding smile. "You will do fine. You're your grandfather's legacy and I believe you are doing just fine."

A voice suddenly came through both Dipper's earpiece and Mettaton's earpiece. _"Mettaton, Dipper? This is Mindy. The crowd's getting restless. We need to go soon."_

"Mindy, darling! How long until you finish with the props and magic?" Mettaton asked, putting a finger to his ear.

 _"In exactly one minute."_

"We're starting in exactly one minute and ten seconds. Start the countdown now."

 _"Yes, Mettaton."_

Dipper started to get nervous. "One minute? But I haven't had any training!"

"That's all for the better, Dipper!" Mettaton replied as he applied some powder makeup to his cheeks. "The first human to do this didn't have a script. It makes a more genuine and relatable storyline!

"Yes, but-!"

"You'll be fine, Dipper dear! Just listen to your instincts and to 'Alphys'. Now, I have to go. Meet you on the stage, darling. Break a leg!" Mettaton waved as he smiled and left, closing the door behind him. 45 seconds, Dipper realized with great dread.

 _"Testing! Testing! Human, are you there?"_ Dipper scrambled as a new voice came onto the other line. It seemed to be a feminine voice with great confidence and authority, despite sounding like a child. He was quick to respond.

"Yes! I'm here! So, you're voicing Alphys, right?"

 _"Yes! Now, I need to tell you what to do,"_ the voice explained. _"Once you go out of this room in 28 seconds, you will enter a completely different world. Don't panic. All of it is monster magic. Secondly, follow my instructions and only respond if I'm in character. You will know if I'm st-stuttering l-like this."_

Dipper was surprised at how good the speaker was at sounding like Alphys. It was as if she knew Alphys before. It would be easy to know when she was in character. "Understood."

 _"Great! Now, in 15 seconds, go out that door."_ The voice started doing a countdown. Dipper was quick to mentally prepare himself. He had this. Just embrace the spotlight, just like Mabel said.

 _"Go in three. Two. One!"_ Dipper opened the door and was immediately assaulted by searing heat. The world was a lava wasteland, full of nothing but rocks and... well, lava. It was amazing how monsters could make this in the backstage area.

Rubbing his right arm, he forged ahead, trying to think what a scared human would do in such a wasteland. Up ahead was a giant building that looked like the lab Dipper had seen in the Underground and had escaped in. In fact, it was an exact replica. He had been there in real life when it was nothing but ruined. This was what it had looked like when it was new.

When he approached the door, it slid open, revealing a dark room. "Uhm... hello?" Dipper said as he entered the room.

"Alright. So, here's what's going to go down, Dipper. Do whatever Alphys says and look at her hands during the game show to get the answers right. This will make sense in a bit, but just keep on walking."

Dipper nodded. Although it sounded confusing, it probably was rather easy to follow. It didn't take long before Alphys exited an elevator, trying to pretend she didn't notice Dipper watching her. She turned on the light and then turned towards Dipper. She was in her human form. She wore a lab coat and black pants. Alphys, pretending to notice Dipper, acted surprised and did a good job too, since she was actually anxious.

"Oh my gosh! I didn't expect you to get here so soon!" Alphys cried out, looking around the lab. "I haven't even showered! I'm barely even dressed! I haven't even finished Mew Mew Kissy Cutie 3!"

Alphys paused for a moment and somehow, through the walls, Dipper could hear laughter. Laughter from the audience. It was then that it sinked in. Of course, he knew he would be in front of a live audience, but he didn't really realize how much pressure that was until he was, well, there! He could feel himself freezing a bit.

 _"Breathe in, breathe out,"_ the voice suddenly ordered through the earpiece. _"You're doing fine."_

Dipper took deep breaths as Alphys continued her shtick. "Wait. Scratch that! But I'm still... not..."

She just stared at Dipper awkwardly. He felt awkward too, and it started to unnerve him. He tried to ignore the fact that an audience was watching. Instead, he tried to focus on the scene before him and he said the next thing that came to mind.

"Uhmmm... hi?" He said with a little wave. Laughter. He blushed, but once again, the voice reassured him.

 _"You're doing great!"_

"Oh, uh, hiiiii..." the scientist responded, trying to grin. "Uh, m-my name is D-Doctor Alphys... Y-you're D-Dipper, right?"

"Yeah. That's me... Dipper... who... who fought a fish warrior!" Dipper yelled, hoping his fake confidence would make him actually confident.

"Y-yeah! I saw how you did that! That was A-mazing!" Alphys answered loudly. "N-now, don't worry! I-I'm not one of... those guys... Goodness knows, I can't fight. I'm actually here to help you!"

"Really?" Dipper asked.

"Really!"

"Well, judging by my track record so far, I might need someone to keep me out of trouble." Laughter. Dipper grinned.

Alphys smiled, fidgeting with her hands. "Y-yeah! But you see... there's once thing I should warn you about. You see, I-I made a robotic gameshow host t-to entertain the people trapped here, b-but... but I may have... added an anti-human program? When I-I saw you coming, I kn-knew I had to uninstall it... and, n-now he's a robot with a thirst for human blood?"

Dipper gave a worried look. "That sounds pretty bad..."

"Y-yeah..." Alphys replied truthfully. "But don't worry! I doubt we will ever run into him! Ha ha ha ha!"

CLUNK!

Dipper looked at the wall right beside him. Despite knowing what was happening, he couldn't help but feel partially scared at that one noise. The audience probably didn't know it, but he was genuinely startled. Alphys didn't look at any wall. She just stared and pretended that she didn't hear anything.

CLUNK!

"Did you hear something?" Alphys asked Dipper.

"You heard that too? I thought I was imagining that giant clunking sound!" He replied in a sarcastic tone.

CLUNK! CLUNK! CLUNK! CLUNK! CLUNK! CLUNK!

"Oh no!" Alphys cried out.

Suddenly, Dipper was thrust into darkness as the light went out. Outside, he heard the audience cheer. They knew what was happening. Unfortunately, he didn't. He never watched this far in the show. What was going to happen to him from now on was unscripted. Maybe it was that uncertainty that made him nearly scream when he heard a voice.

"OH YES!" A metallic voice shouted. It sounded like Mettaton's voice, but more robotic than human. In his other voice, it sounded equal parts robot and human. This one sounded like a robotic imitation of his voice. However, when a spotlight came on and shone on the speaker, it was Mettaton in his old boxy shape, where instead of legs, he had a single wheel and instead of a face, he had a box with a square screen.

"WELCOME BEAUTIES AND GENTLEBEAUTIES..." He started with a drumroll. "TO TODAY'S QUIZ SHOW!"

The rest of the lights came on, but they were all colorful and the lights moved. A sign came down, saying, "QUIZ SHOW" in neon lights. A catchy tune came on that seemed to fit Mettaton at this moment so perfectly. In one hand, he held a microphone. With the other hand, he waved at the hidden cameras. The audience was going crazy.

"TODAY WE HAVE A LOVELY CONTESTANT! LET'S GIVE THEM A ROUND OF APPLAUSE!" Mettaton and the entire audience outside clapped. Dipper was so shocked, but he could've sworn he heard Mabel shouting outside. He couldn't hear what she said, but he took pride in knowing that she was always cheering for him.

"HAVE YOU PLAYED BEFORE, HANDSOME?" Mettaton asked, putting his microphone next to Dipper's face.

"Uh, no?" Dipper responded honestly.

"THAT'S OKAY! THE RULES ARE SIMPLE! ANSWER CORRECTLY..."

"Well, that sounds easy enough."

Everything froze, even the lights. "OR YOU DIE."

"Wait, WHAT?!" Dipper shouted in surprise. This one was partially acting, but he did a pretty good job. He was a proud player of Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons, so he knew how to roleplay. What he did find surprising was how strict these rules were. In all honesty, he should've seen it coming with the show being called, "Revenge of the Killer Robot", but the fact was, this show was based on a real event. Was there really a killer game show that some human had to do and they somehow survived?! It was mind boggling.

(Put on that Metal Crusher, guys!)

"FIRST QUESTION!" Mettaton announced, as he rolled to the side, where a screen showed the question. "WHAT'S THE PRIZE FOR ANSWERING CORRECTLY?

A. MOVIE TICKETS

B. MORE QUESTIONS

C. A BRAND NEW CAR!

D. A FEELING OF PRIDE"

Dipper watched as 25 minutes counted down. He felt anxiety well up inside him. What should he answer? He was forgetting everything! If only he had watched the show! If only he had been less stubborn and actually tried what his sister liked. That's when he remembered. The voice! She mentioned something about Alphys' hands! Look at Alphys, she was frantically making a symbol with her hands. It was... a B!

"B. More questions," Dipper answered. A little triumphant tune played.

"BRILLIANT ANSWER!" Mettaton cheered happily. However, Dipper wasn't happy. If each question's answer came with a prize of a question, there would be no end to this quiz show. It would be never-ending trivia. It was painful. However, he had to embrace the spotlight. Do this for Mabel, he thought. What would she say?

"Is that all you got?" He said as confident as he could.

"GETTING COCKY! I LIKE IT! HERE'S YOUR FABULOUS REWARD! QUESTION TWO! WHAT DOES THE DOG DO?

A. GAME DEVELOPMENT

B. CHEWING BONES

C. SLEEPING

D. MAGICAL AND MYSTERIOUS THINGS"

The only thing on the screen was a white, tiny dog. In fact, it was the same dog that had ruined Sans' cake! How the heck would Dipper know what it does? However, same as usual, he followed Alphys.

"D. Magical and mysterious things!"

"CORRECT!"

"As if somebody didn't know what the dog was doing!"

"THE DOG DOES WHAT HE DOES BEST!"

"I bet eating my sister's cake was a part of the grand scheme of things," Dipper replied with a smile at the camera. The audience seemed to dig it from the outside.

"LET'S TRY A HARDER ONE, GENTLEBEAUTY! QUESTION THREE: IF OUR LIFE WAS A STORY, WHAT WOULD IT BE TITLED?

A. METTATONLAND

B. BOOK WITH LAZERS

C. GRAVITY FALLS: A SANS-ATIONAL TALE

D. ALIENS"

Feeling more confident after looking at Alphys' answer, he decided to play a trick on the audience. "Well, Gravity Falls: A SANS-ational Tale would be a ridiculous name for a story."

"A WISE OBSERVATION."

"Aliens would result in it getting taken down from ITube for a copyrighted name." Cheers from the audience. "Books with lazers is cool, but no title is more glamorous than... A. Mettatonland!"

"AMAZING! SPECTACULAR!" Mettaton complimented. "BUT DO YOU KNOW YOUR MUSIC?"

 ** _"€¥¥€£QUESTION$: $FOUR:¿$ &§ €WHY$& §$¥¿IS¿¡&$ THE•\¢§ £HEART¡¿§$₽ IN‰#~¿THE¢}#%&$ ZODIAC€£§ $PINK$& ¿¡?"_**

"QUESTION FIVE: NAME THIS TUNE! (m. youtube watch?v=iSExC_pw8Zk)

A. BACH

B. NEVER GONNA GIVE YOU UP

C. THE LEGEND

D. WHAT IS THIS? DOES THIS EVEN EXIST?"

Dipper didn't even have to look at Alphys to know the answer. As he listened to it, he had no idea where it came from. It definitely wasn't A or B and he didn't even know if C was the right answer. He'd never heard this song in his entire life.

"D. What is this? Does this even exist?"

"CORRECT! WHAT A STREAK! NOT A SINGLE ONE WRONG, DARLING!" Mettaton continued. "QUESTION SIX: KINDNESS, JUSTICE, BRAVERY, INTEGRITY, PATIENCE, PERSEVERENCE. WHAT TRAIT IS MISSING?

A. GLAMOROUS

B. LOVE

C. CINDNESS

D. DETERMINATION"

After studying soul types, he knew the answer. There were seven soul traits connected to seven colors. Often times, Dipper wondered why soul types were important in the monster world? It never seemed to say. However, he did know one thing. His own trait was the one not mentioned. During the Chara incident, Dipper noticed his soul was red. Red. A soul trait that was said to be rare.

"D. Determination! You almost had me with the Cindness," he lied with a grin.

"A WONDERFUL ANSWER! HOWEVER, CAN YOU ANSWER THIS QUESTION?QUESTION SEVEN: WHAT QUESTION NUMBER DID WE SKIP?

A. FIVE

B. FOUR

C. TWELVE

D. ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY THREE"

Dipper didn't keep track of which number they had skipped. He only listened to the actual question. Good thing Alphys was there. Her hands made the shape of the letter B. He nodded. He had to trust the good Dr. Alphys.

"B. Four."

"FABULOUS! THE QUIZ SHOW CONTINUES! QUESTION EIGHT: WOULD YOU DATE A MONSTER?

A. HECK YEAH!

B. HECK YEAH!

C. HECK YEAH!

D. HECK YEAH!"

Rather than the normal time limit, the time counted up. Alphys squinted at the question in... distaste? Confusion? It was hard to read her expression. However, she didn't give an answer for obvious reasons. Dipper just shrugged.

"Uhhh... Heck yeah!" He shouted as loud as he could, although he was unsure of himself.

"AN INSPIRING ANSWER! A HOPE THAT HUMANKIND AND MONSTERKIND CAN LIVE IN PEACE IF THERE WAS SUCH THING AS MONSTERS, THAT IS! QUESTION NINE: WHAT MEW MEW KISSY CUTIE EPISODE IS THE BEST FOR LEARNING ABOUT EMOTIONAL HONESTY?" Mettaton asked, reading off of his card.

Before Dipper could hear the answers, Alphys flailed on of her arms, as if she were in class waiting for the teacher to call her. She was freaking out and burst out the answer. "I KNOW! IT'S THE EPISODE WHERE MEW MEW JUST GOT BACK FROM FIGHTING THE TITAN AND SHE COMES BACK FEELING BEATEN AND HER FRIENDS ASK HER WHAT'S WRONG BUT SHE WON'T ADMIT SHE FEELS TERRIBLE UNTIL THE END! IT'S... a... g-great episode about... friendship... and trust... and..." she stuttered when she realized what she had done. Mettaton turned towards her.

"ALPHYS, ALPHYS, ALPHYS! YOU AREN'T HELPING OUR CONTESTANT, ARE YOU?" Mettaton asked as Alphys looked from side to side with a sheepish grin. She was clearly caught as he continued to scold her. "YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME! WELL, HERE'S A QUESTION FOR THE CONTESTANT THAT HE SHOULD BE ABLE TO ANSWER!"

"WHOSE BIRTHDAY IS IT TODAY?" Mettaton asked, as Alphys continued to try and stop Dipper from answering. She was clearly very embarrassed, but she couldn't stop her invention.

"A. ALPHYS'

B. UNDYNE'S

C. METTATON'S

D. DIPPER'S"

Without the help of Alphys, he was left to guess on his own. Despite the fact his answer probably didn't matter, he began to feel anxious. What if he chose the wrong thing? What would his sister think? What if it was nobody's birthday today? He had to reason this out.

Obviously, it wasn't Dipper's birthday. It probably wasn't Mettaton's, otherwise his sister would've been wishing him a happy birthday all over the Internet. It was either Alphys' or Undyne's, and though he had a good guess, he worried about whether or not it was right.

"Uhmmm... A? Is it Alphys' birthday?" Dipper sighed in relief as a victory jingle came from the speakers. However, Alphys cried out as she covered her face with her hands. Even when she didn't cry, her mouth was open in a silent scream as blush covered her face. From the outside, Dipper could faintly hear the people say, "Happy birthday, Alphys!" all at once.

"OF COURSE, IT'S THE DEAR DOCTOR'S BIRTHDAY! WHAT DOES SHE HAVE PLANNED FOR TODAY? A MARATHON OF MEW MEW KISSY CUTIE? A KISS FROM HER GIRLFRIEND? EATING A FANCY DINNER OF INSTANT RAMEN NOODLES? MORE UPDATES AS THE STORY UNFOLDS! HOPEFULLY, ALPHYS GOT A RESERVATION AT HER INSTANT RAMEN PLACE."

Mettaton put the screen showing the questions away as he addressed the audience. "WELL, THAT'S ALL FOR NOW, FOLKS. WITH DR. ALPHYS HELPING THE CONTESTANT, THERE'S NO TENSION! NO DRAMA! THE SHOW CAN'T GO ON LIKE THIS! SO, UNTIL LATER, BEAUTIES AND GENTLEBEAUTIES, TOODLES!" With a wave of his metal hand, he left, disappearing from the lab as mysteriously as he appeared. Alphys and Dipper were left in awkward silence.

"Uhmmm... Happy birthday!" Dipper congratulated with an awkward smile. Alphys blushed.

"P-please don't," she pleaded. "An-anyways, I doubt that's the last w-we'll see of him... I know! I'll give you my phone number! T-that way, I-I can lead you through Hotland!"

"That sounds like a plan," Dipper replied as he handed Alphys his phone. She looked over the phone, thinking.

"Th-this isn't the w-worst model I've seen... but here! I'll be right back!" Quickly, Alphys went through an automatic door that shut behind her. Suddenly, some loud noises came from behind it. Dipper had to cover his ears as the screeching and screaming of equipment came from the room. Then, Alphys came out with his phone with a big smile.

"H-here! I-I added some new features on it you might need. I-I even added the H-Hotlandnet onto it. Th-that way, I can be your friend! And I can text you!" Alphys grinned happily.

"Thank you," Dipper responded happily as he noticed the new buttons on his phone, though he dared not try them.

"Y-your welcome! Heh heh heh!" Alphys laughed awkwardly. Then, her anxiety started to get to her. She stopped laughing and looked down at her feet. She started to sweat profusely before finally, she spoke. "I have to go to the bathroom!" Just as she said she would, she ran to the bathroom.

"Uhh... okay. I guess, I'll just start..." he said to no one in particular as he headed towards the door.

"Good job! You're a natural!" The voice in his earpiece complimented as he walked out the door. "Just keep going! You'll be hearing from me, rather than Alphys, from now on!"

Dipper nodded subtly before he was blasted by the heat of Hotland. It felt like an oven as he stepped onto the red grown. Lava surrounded him. Sweat immediately formed on his brow and he wondered why they had to be this accurate with the setting. Why did they have to keep the blistering heat, of all things?

Standing a little ways was Mindy, standing next to the edge of the path where the lava was. However, she seemed nonchalant. When Dipper came into view, she held up her hand to stop him. Following her orders, he stood there awkwardly, looking at the lava, the ground, anything that managed to grab his attention. Then, Mindy approached him.

"Hello again, Dipper," she said with a smile. "You are quite the natural, aren't you? Now, let me brief you on what's happening. Mettaton is having an intermission of sorts. Once you get to the next scene, the show will be live again. Take your time but don't take all day. We need footage in order to show the audience what you have been through while they were gone."

He nodded. "I've got it."

Her smile grew as her eyes, which flickered like flames, began to glow a bit more. "I knew you would." Then, it seemed as though she was preparing herself in order to jump into the lava. "Don't do this, Dipper. These props will hurt if you aren't a fire witch."

With that, she jumped backwards into the lava. Dipper simply stared at where she had been, dumbfounded. Did everyone Mettaton touch become a drama queen? Was that really necessary? Then again, it was nice to find out she was a witch, the child of a human and a monster. She must've been old, and yet she looked very young.

He shook off his shock and decided to move ahead. He had to reach the next scene at some point. Hopefully, there wouldn't be too much going on. Of course, at this point, that was probably just wishful thinking. The only way to keep an audience entertained was to have a whole bunch of drama and fighting.

 _"H-hello, D-Dipper... T-this is Alphys,"_ the voice suddenly said, sounding like Alphys. If he didn't know any better, he would've thought the person through his earpiece was Alphys. Clearly, she was being voiced by someone who knew her very well. _"I'm t-talking to you through... tel...tele...T-telepathy! That's it! D-definitely not through your phone... which may be able to... s-speak in your m-mind..."_

 _"Anyways, t-there will be some g-gates up ahead... t-they can only be opened by... two... monitors... they tell... r-riddles. Answer them correctly! And then... it... will... o-open..."_

"Thanks for the update, Alphys!" Dipper replied, trying to hide his uncertainty in his exaggerated emotions.

 _"N-no problem! I-if you want the solutions... I maaaay be able to tell you them... but... that would ruin the fun. A-and you're smart anyways!"_ The "Alphys" replied. Dipper understood where this was going. She wasn't going to tell him the answers until he was absolutely stuck.

"I've got it, Alphys. Don't worry. I know I can count on you!" He answered. Of course, this was a true statement that he meant sincerely. It wasn't an act. He actually was thankful for the voice in his earbud. It made him feel more secure and sure of what he was doing. The voice must've known how sincere he was, for when she spoke, she was somewhat out of character.

"Thank you, Dipper! ...A-Alphys, out!"

Dipper nodded. Riddles... He was never good at those things. How could he be so well-read and yet not be any good at riddles? It was one of the universe's secrets. Of course, his mind went back to Mabel. Mabel was good at riddles. She would often come up with the most ridiculous answer, and it would be correct. It just made sense to her. It never made sense to him.

When Dipper entered the next room, there was a monitor in front of him and another one on the other side of the room. In between them was a giant door with designs. Taking a deep breath, he walked in front of the computer. On it, in writing, was the riddle with a password box for the answer. In order to process the riddle, he read it out loud, as Mabel would often do.

"This lives in the mind,

But this thing, you will never find,

For it is not physical

Nor is it intentional.

See without seeing.

Feel without feeling.

It is a wish or a warning

From an organ, beating."

Immediately, he realized what the last line of the riddle meant. A beating organ. The heart. He replaced the last line with the heart. "It is a wish or a warning from the heart," he thought out loud. It sounded familiar, like a song...

Then, he remembered and groaned. "A dream. It lives in the mind, but not physically. When asleep, you can feel and see without being awake and..." he rolled his eyes as he continued. "A dream is a wish your heart makes..."

Upon typing the answer into the computer, a triumphant jingle played and a green check mark filled the entire screen. The large door suddenly had half of its design lit up an amber color. Dipper completed one riddle, but he didn't feel happy. He just felt... well, undignified. That riddle was too easy for his liking, as if they hadn't expected him to answer it correctly. Without saying this thought to the cameras, he walked to the second monitor and just like last time, read it aloud.

"It's in every sink

And in a wink.

It has eyes, but doesn't blink.

It has thoughts, but doesn't think.

Black as night

It's permanent, alright!"

Dipper scratched his head. What could be in a sink and in a wink? What has eyes and thoughts but doesn't think or blink? It confused him. Then again, he had to think like Mabel… What would Mabel notice? Well, the first four lines had words the all rhymed. The last two didn't. Black as night and permanent…

Sink, wink, blink and think all had the ending, "-ink". Ink could be black and permanent. It didn't have eyes, but if written with, it could make the letter "I". If written, it could also convey the thoughts and feelings of the author without a single sound.

Preparing for a failure, he entered "INK" into the computer. To his surprise, the victory jingle played again as the computer lit up. However, Dipper was more interested in the fact that he had figured out these riddles so far. He wasn't lying when he said he was bad at riddles. When he read The Halfling, he got every riddle wrong and Mabel joked he would be eaten by an inhuman creature if he challenged one to a riddle duel. However, it was like Mabel was beside him now. It was a weird feeling. It was like whenever he tried to think like Mabel, she was suddenly there. The thoughts he came up with didn't feel like his own.

The door glowed so brightly that Dipper had to hold a hand in front of his eyes. He wasn't in front of the door. However, as he tried to approach it, the doors opened somewhat slowly with a sound of metal grinding. When it stopped, the glow dimmed to the normal amount of light. He stood there, unsure of what to do, before taking a deep breath. Then, he entered.

Dipper found himself in a dark room with only the light of the outside streaming in. However, that light also went away as the door behind him shut with a resounding thud. What had startled him was the fact that door closed faster than it opened. It was like walking into a trap… which, it clearly was.

" _O-oh! I-it's kinda dark in there,"_ The voice said in their Alphys voice. " _L-let me just-"_

The lights flashed on, nearly blinding Dipper. However, as his eyes focused, he noticed he was in a strange workshop. The floor was made out of concrete that was scuffed up, scratched, and in some places, burned. Along the left side of the wall was rows upon rows of bins labeled different objects. In front of him was a table saw and behind that table saw was the one… the only… METTATON! Mettaton had latex gloves on, as well as scientific goggles over his rectangular face. Instead of a microphone in his hand, he had a test tube full of a strange chemical.

" _O-oh no!"_ The "Alphys" shouted.

"OOOHHH YESS!" Mettaton replied enthusiastically (for a robot, at least). "WELCOME BEAUTIES AND GENTLEBEAUTIES TO-!"

Suddenly, to Dipper's surprise, the robot threw the chemical behind him without looking. When the test tube broke on the floor, flames flared up and smoke formed a tiny mushroom cloud. It made a whoosh sound as a sigh dropped from the ceiling. It read, "MYTHCRUSHERS With a Metal Crusher".

"TODAY, MY ASSISTANT, DIPPER, AND I WILL CRUSH A VERY INTERESTING MYTH. MYTH: CAN METTATON HOLD 10 SACKS FULL OF THINGS? LET'S PUT THIS MYTH TO THE TEST!" As he said this, a staircase quickly emerged from the stage floor out of nowhere right beside the robot. "DIPPER, BRING ME SOME SACKS!"

Dipper looked around and noticed that there were now plenty of sacks around the lab. Had he not noticed them before? Well, they were there now. Quickly, he picked up a sack right next to the containers. As he tried to lift it, he left out a groan from the weight. It was hard to pick up, since his arms were so weak he sometimes wondered if they were made of pipe cleaners. As best he could, he walked up the stairs and put the first sack on Mettaton. A tiny bell noise rang as he gave it to him.

Soon enough, he had found most of the sacks. One by the door, another right beside Mettaton (he was so lazy), another by the stairs, another by where the explosion happened, and three more in bins marked "SACK". After bringing up the ninth sack, the bell noise rang as Mettaton spoke.

"AH! THE FINAL SACK. WELL, THIS MYTH IS PROVEN… TRUE!" That's when he pretended to get a message from someone offstage. "WHAT? YOU MEAN I'M ONLY HOLDING NINE BAGS?! THIS CANNOT STAND! THE LAST ONE CAN ONOY BE OBTAINED THROUGH THE DREADED… OBSTACLE COURSE OF DOOM!"

Dipper's mouth dropped as a literal obstacle course emerged from the ground like magic… well, because it was magic. Different colored walls forced anyone who went in there to face giant swinging blades. Then, they had to pass an entire corridor with arrow being shot at them every second. Afterwards, they were treated with a dessert of flamethrowers and… the little white dog dangling from a rope? At the end was the final sack. What… the heck… was he supposed to do?!

"BUT WAIT? THERE'S MORE?" Mettaton continued as he pretended to talk to the mysterious person backstage. "YOU MEAN… THESE SACKS ARE FULL OF BOMBS?!"

"Oh great… just what I needed," Dipper muttered as he cradled his face in his hands. The sacks lit up with multiple red dots.

"AND THE BOMBS WILL GO OFF IN THREE MINUTES, KILLING EVERYONE IN THIS ROOM EXCEPT ME SINCE I'M MADE OUT OF METAL?" Mettaton looked at Dipper. "WELL, I GUESS WE HAVE ANOTHER MYTH TO CRUSH."

"MYTH: ARE HUMANS ABLE TO SURVIVE HUNDREDS OF POUNDS OF EXPLOSIVES?"

Dipper didn't know what to think. It seemed so real, despite Mettaton saying he would be safe. What if the bombs did go off? What would happen then? "Alphys" came onto his earpiece.

" _O-okay! This… this may seem bad… b-but I c-can assure you I've prepared for just this situation,"_ the voice reassured him in a not-so-reassuring voice. " _P-press that p-pink button on your phone."_

Quickly, he pulled out his phone and found a pink, circular button that had not been there before. As he pressed it, his phone floated out of his hand. Dipper watched in amazement as the monster magic did its work and transformed the phone. Now, it was a circular shield of some kind!

" _N-now you c-can go through that obstacle c-course with some protection!"_

Dipper nodded. He ran as fast as he could to the entrance of the obstacle course. He couldn't waste anytime. The clock was ticking and the bombs would explode if he didn't get the final bag. First was the swinging blades. Bobbing his head in time with the blades, he hopped past them, putting his circular shield above his head to avoid the blades, as well as the piercing side of them. Now came the arrows.

What became apparent was that the arrows came from different sides depending on the section of wall. In the first section, the arrows flew from left to right. The next went from right to left. Dipper put the shield first, blocking the first couple of arrows before he went behind it. Upon reaching the next section, he had just enough time to switch the shield to the other side and go behind it before being pierced. When he reached the next section, he was prepared.

He put his shield in front of him as the flamethrowers came on. The flames licked the edges of his shield and as Dipper went around it, the little dog licked his hands as well. Then, Dipper touched the bag, relieved to have made it. The white dog barked happily and suddenly, the obstacle course disappeared into the ground. Dipper shrugged at this point, not really sure what else he was expecting, before wrestling the bag to the bottom of the stairs. He had thirty seconds left! He climbed steadily, groaning and gasping from the weight. He was so close, but the time was close too. Five seconds… four… three… two… one…

The usual triumphant jingle went off. The bag of bombs fell on top of the rest of the sacks and as it did, the red blinking stopped. Dipper wiped the sweat off his brow in relief as Mettaton spoke.

"OH MY. IT SEEMS THE HUMAN MYTH WILL NOT BE CRUSHED TODAY, BUT THAT WAS ONLY BECAUSE YOU HAD THE HELP OF THE GREAT DOCTOR ALPHYS," the robotic host explained. "OH WELL… AT LEAST I HAVE PROVEN THAT I CAN, INDEED, HOLD FIVE SACKS OF BOMBS. THIS MYTH IS TRUE, AND REMEMBER, BEAUTIES AND GENTLBEAUTIES, DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME. WELL, TOODLES!"

Before Dipper could say a word, the robot left, carrying the ten sacks of bombs. It was quite a sight to see, since the host waved goodbye without even dropping a single sack. Well, he was a robot. Still, it was quite impressive.

" _W-we sure taught him a lesson, r-right, Dipper? I'm gl-glad that shield came in handy. Good job getting through that course with it!"_

"Well, I couldn't have done it without you, Dr. Alphys!" Dipper replied gratefully.

" _W-what?! No! All I did… was program a few upgrades. A-anyways, y-you should get going… in case he comes back."_

"Understood."

Dipper, however, noticed that one of the containers in the workshop read, "Starfait" with a star beside it. It was within arms reach and he quickly opened it. A plastic glass was filled to the brim with sparkly layers of pinks, blues, and magentas. A strange star was placed on the side of the glass, like an orange slice would on a glass of iced tea. There was a straw as well. Beside it was a note.

" _Hello darling!_

 _You are doing magnificent! I'm sure now that you have acted before and if you hadn't, you better sign up for acting right away! I hid you a starfait in this set and since you are reading this, you have found it! Enjoy a treat, Dipper. Remember, starfaits are a monster dessert. You can put it in your pocket and it won't spill. Try it!_

 _Yours truly,_

 _Mettaton."_

Dipper held the glass upside down, showing that the liquid didn't flow. Then, he found, to his surprise, that his pockets held the glass comfortably. Monster magic. It never ceased to amaze him

Upon leaving the room, the door behind him closed yet again. However, he was back in the hot wasteland. In front of him was a large door and to the left and right were monitors yet again. This time, there were actually people. As he went towards the monitor towards the left, he heard two schoolgirls talking to themselves.

"I love watching Mettaton! He's so great!" One girl said.

"I know, right! I love how whenever anything dramatic happens, he just poses. He could be on death's door and he just strikes a pose! It's admirable, to say the least," The other girl answered.

The first girl scoffed at her friend. "C'mon! Everyone knows the best part is when Mettaton strikes down the heel-turning villains. When you love to hate a villain, you absolutely have to love when the robot of your dreams attacks them."

The girls stopped talking as they continued to look at their phones. Dipper didn't want to continue to eavesdrop. Quickly, he turned on the monitor for the riddle.

"Bushes are their home.

In search of them, people roam.

Blue, red, purple, are they.

They are organic, by the way."

This one had a quick answer. This time, Dipper was relieved to say it was easy to figure out. The last sentence implied that the object is a food, since it is organic. Bushes were the common place of berries, which were often blue, red, or purple. Saying people searched for them was an understatement. People grew berries because of how good they were. When he put in berries as the answer, he wasn't surprised when the happy jingle played.

He went to the other monitor, where two men in construction hats were sitting down. They were watching their phones, much like the schoolgirls were. Dipper completely ignored them as he read the riddle that would open the door.

"Our hopes and dreams

Make a milky mess, it seems.

Crystals among glowing streams

Carry the burden of that which beams."

This riddle seemed somewhat different from the others. It seemed more… poetic. It seemed to hold more meaning. A meaning that somehow, Dipper was missing. What did milky messes have to do with hopes and dreams? What did streams have to do with that which beams? How did any of this have to do with anything? Once again, he wished Mabel were here.

Then, he felt it again. Mabel was beside him and his thoughts began to become clearer. If this were a type of magic he was experiencing, it certainly gave him the creativity and thoughts of Mabel. However, it also allowed him to build off of this creativity with his own knowledge.

Milky mess… Well, he could think about spilt milk, but this seemed different. It was like that time his father had him walk to the top of a hill at night. Together, they looked up at the sky, which was far from any city or light. The stars were bright, but the most stunning masterpiece in the sky was the Milky Way. The galaxy the Earth resided in on display.

Hopes and dreams… a common phrase that monsters used. Hopes always came with dreams for monsters, it seemed. Neither could be said without the other. This poem was written by a monster. But how could the hopes and dreams of monsters cause a milky mess?

That's when it hit him. It was like a jolt of energy. A strike of knowledge. Crystals among glowing streams matched the description of a place in the Underground. It was called Waterfall. Monsters would whisper their hopes, dreams, and wishes to the crystals above. They did this because they could no longer whisper their hopes and dreams to the stars.

Stars! That was it! They beam. They form the Milky Way. Monsters whispered hopes and dreams to them. It all came together. When the triumphant jingle played after Dipper pressed enter, it felt like the end of a journey. It felt well earned.

As he was about to head towards the now-open door, the construction workers spoke.

"You know what I love about Mettaton?" One asked the other. "He is always confident. If he fights someone, he always says he can dodge an attack without being injured. Mettaton never disappoints!"

"Yeah, but do you see the way he advertises himself? Not only does he encourage people to eat a glamburger or a starfait, but he also shows what it does! It even saves him from sticky situations once in a while!" The other replied.

" _Remember what they said,"_ The voice said, this time, not in character. " _What they said will help you near the end."_

Dipper did a subtle nod and made a mental note of the basic ideas of what they all said. Then, he quickly went through the glowing door. At this point, he had no idea what was going to happen. What he did know was that it was dark yet again. However, before "Alphys" could say anything, the light went on.

It was a strange setting. All around him was tall, yellow grass that seemed to be alive, despite the hot heat. Above Dipper was a machine akin to a crane, except it held a camera and the star of the show: Mettaton! This time, Mettaton was wearing a safari hat and a beige vest with many pockets on it.

"Not again!" Dipper exclaimed.

"YES AGAIN!" Mettaton urged excitedly, before his voice went down to a metallic whisper, which was not very quiet. "WELCOME, BEAUTIES AND GENTLEBEAUTIES, TO THIS STUNNING LANDSCAPE. IT MAY SEEM BARREN UNTIL YOU REALIZE… THIS IS THE NATURAL HABITAT OF THE SPECIES, HOMO SAPIEN SAPIEN. IN FACT, THERE'S ONE NOW."

The robotic host aimed the camera towards Dipper who simply stared at the camera, clearly unamused. "DARLING, DO YOU MIND WALKING AROUND A BIT TO GIVE OUR AUDIENCE SOMETHING TO WATCH?" Mettaton asked, breaking character for a split second.

Dipper rolled his eyes before walking around in circle. He put his hands up to add some fake drama to it. "Oh look. Grass. Oh nice. More grass. Such habitat. Much wow," he said sarcastically as he walked around.

"ASTOUNDING," Mettaton commented in his hushed, narrator voice. "IT SEEMS THE HUMAN IS TRYING TO COMMUNICATE WITH US. HOWEVER, I FEAR HE MAY HAVE ATTRACTED UNWANTED ATTENTION."

Suddenly, Dipper stopped and looked around. He saw shapes moving through the grass a bit before stopping. This didn't bode well…

"OH NO. IT SEEMS MY FEARS HAVE BEEN REALIZED. OH WELL. AT LEAST THE VIEWERS WILL SEE FIRSTHAND WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A HUMAN IS ATTACKED BY A PACK OF TIGERS," Mettaton stated quite certainly.

"Alphys" called through Dipper's earbud. " _O-okay… This may seem bad… b-but I have a solution! T-tigers hate the sound of… of clanking metal. L-luckily, I made a button that makes that very noise! I-if you feel they are getting too close… just… press the… uhm… Give me a minute… BLUE! Press the blue button!"_

Dipper knew he had to make a run for it. Unfortunately, the grass was tall and the corridor seemed to be long. He took out his phone and watched the grass around him for any signs they were getting closer than they should. He noticed a rustling in the grass ahead. Quickly, he pressed the blue button. The sound of two pans hitting each other three times was played and as it rang out, a roar came from the bushes ahead as it seemed to run away. He continually did this, making sure the giant cats wouldn't attack him. During this time, Mettaton watched, maneuvering his camera to get a good shot. Occasionally, when the robotic host wasn't being seen by the audience, he would give Dipper a thumbs up.

Finally, Dipper made it into the next room. The door slammed behind him, keeping the tigers away from him. For one moment, he just leaned against the metal door, panting. Once he finally caught his breath, he noticed this place was odder than before. A hallway was before him and along the walls were candles, burning in the darkness. It looked like the inside of an ancient castle.

As he walked down the corridor, he noticed light towards the end. However, it was only slightly brighter than the candles. It was clearly a sign of a bigger room up ahead. His curiosity was getting the better of him. Dipper needed to continue. Adjusting his hat slightly, he entered into what seemed to be a courtyard. A crescent moon and the milky way hung above him and a stone path led him through bushes of roses in the fake night. Then, he noticed a balcony with stairs coming down. That's when he heard a voice.

"WHO IS THAT?" The familiar robotic voice asked. "COULD IT BE…?"

Appearing on the balcony, more beautiful than Juliet, was Mettaton himself, dressed in a blue dress. Dipper was simply speechless. What the actual-

"MY ONE TRUE LOVE?" At these words, Dipper nearly choked. This was it. If he was actually a human in the Underground, he would've just put his arms up and said, "That's it. I'm done." It was simply that unbelievable. Somehow, Mettaton was able to (elegantly?) walk down the stairs and he took Dipper's hands in his as the music began to swell from an unseen orchestra.

" _OH MY LOVE! PLEASE RUN AWAY!"_ Mettaton sang, surprisingly beautifully. He turned away from Dipper, as if in pain. " _MONSTER KING FORBIDS YOUR STAY."_

" _HUMANS MUST LIVE FAR APART,"_ the robot continued as he picked up a Rose and clutched it near his… heart? " _EVEN IF IT BREAKS MY HEART."_

Then, he took Dipper's hands again. Together, Dipper and Mettaton held the Rose in their hands. From out of nowhere, rose petals fell and Dipper was the only one who couldn't compute what was actually happening.

" _THEY'LL PUT YOU IN THE DUNGEON. IT'LL SUCK AND THEN YOU'LL DIE A LOT."_ For the last time, Mettaton pulled away from Dipper, leaving him with the rose. The robot princess took out a handkerchief and put it to his screen. " _REALLY SAD YOU'RE GONNA DIE. CRY, CRY, CRY! SO SAD IT'S HAPPENING!"_

The music ended and the petals stopped falling. Dipper somehow found himself holding a rose when he finally computed what had happened. Mettaton rubbed the handkerchief near the right side of his screen.

"SO SAD YOU'RE GOING TO THE DUNGEON…" he said sadly. Then, he dropped his handkerchief, revealing a remote control with a single button. "WELL, TOODLES!"

When Mettaton pressed the button, a hole opened up beneath Dipper. Dipper let out a scream as he fell, letting go of the rose in his hand. However, the fall wasn't very far and he soon found himself on his feet, screaming. He stopped as Mettaton came down, flying with a jet pack and still in his princess best.

"OH, WOE IS ME! MY LOVE IS IN THE DUNGEON!" He yelled in fake mourning. Mettaton and Dipper looked in front of them to see a bunch of colorful tiles. Dipper scratched his head, but Mettaton soon was "wailing". "NOT THE COLORFUL TILE MAZE! MY LOVE DOESN'T EVEN KNOW THE RULES! HE MAY BE SMART, BUT HE WILL DIE! BUT IF HE DOESN'T SOLVE IT, HE'LL BE BURNED TO ACRISP! I'M SO SAD I'M DYING FROM LAUGHING! GOOD LUCK, MY LOVE!"

Suddenly, the ground underneath began to move. Dipper realized then that he was standing on a conveyor belt. Not liking the sound of the puzzle game, he ran against the conveyor belt. He panted hard and sweat began to bead on his brow. However, there was no use. Time was ticking now and the conveyor belt wouldn't let him leave. Since he was forced to do the color maze, he decided to test it out.

In front of him was a blue water tile. It was wet when he stepped in it. When he went to the left, the green tile beneath him made a bell noise and nothing else. He went forward onto a purple tile. It made him slip. Dipper fell on his butt and suddenly smelt lemons. He landed on a pink tile. Thank goodness. Beside him was a yellow tile, bursting with electricity. Didn't seem like a good idea to step on that or the blue tile next to it. A red wall was in front of him.

He continued as best he could with the knowledge he had. Unfortunately, time wasn't on his side and the colors turned gray as the time ran out. Mettaton returned. "SO SAD. HERE COMES THE FLAMES, MY LOVE. MY POOR LOVE!"

Indeed, the flames came closer… and closer… and closer… until they halted right beside Dipper. That's when the flames blinked off. "WHAT THE…"

" _D-don't worry, Dipper! I-I've deactivated the flames!"_ Fake Alphys announced happily. " _Y-you're not getting this SOUL, Mettaton!"_

"OH DEAR. IT SEEMS THE GREAT DR. ALPHYS HAS BESTED ME AGAIN! HOW LUCKY YOU ARE, DIPPER, TO HAVE A FRIEND LIKE HER," Mettaton said, sounding bored. "WELL, UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN!"

Mettaton flew out of the room and soon, Dipper was left alone again. This show was the weirdest thing he had ever done so far. Without any further instructions from the mysterious voice, he found that the only way to continue was to go forward. The next room was, once again, out in the lava wasteland. However, there was someone in this room. A human child, it seemed.

She looked to be in her mid-teens. Her brown hair was chin-length and she had bangs. Her eyes seemed to be concealed, although the few glimpses he saw when a single strand of hair was out of place revealed that her eyes were a dark brown, much like his own. Around her right hand was a white cloth that wrapped around it. A bandaid was across her cheek. She wore a purple and pink striped sweater and black pants. Dipper was quick to approach her.

"Are you okay?" He asked, looking at her bandages. She nodded before making signs with her hands. It seemed to be sign language. Now, Dipper only knew enough sign language to understand key phrases. What he got from her signing was "Mettaton", "ahead", "together", and "follow".

The girl got up and went up to a certain path that led to a building. Then, she turned a motioned for Dipper to follow. He was unsure, but this girl seemed familiar. He would have to ask her after the show. Quickly, they both went towards the building and she opened the door to what seemed to be an elevator. She motioned for him to go in first and afterwards, she went in herself.

The elevator ride was an awkward ride of wondering who this mystery girl was and why she was in this show. Of course, it was none of Dipper's business, but when was anything Dipper's business? Curiosity was his thing and he loved mysteries. The girl noticed his staring and signed, "Thanks". Dipper sheepishly looked away and rubbed his arm. The girl put her hand to her mouth and laughed. That's when they reached the right floor.

The elevator light turned off as the door opened. Dipper couldn't see. When he felt a hand grab his arm and start to drag him, he didn't resist. Why should he? It was probably just the girl. Then, she stopped and they were stuck in silence and darkness. Suddenly-

"IT WAS FUN PLAYING YOUR LITTLE GAME, ALPHYS," Mettaton's voice rang out through the room. "BUT I'M AFRAID YOU'VE PLAYED WITH DIPPER LONG ENOUGH. YOU SEE, YOU TWO, ALPHYS HAS BEEN TRICKING YOU INTO LOVING HER THIS WHOLE TIME. I HAVE BEEN A GOOD ACTOR, BUT NOW, SHE WON'T BE ABLE TO SAVE YOU!"

There was a knock from somewhere. When nothing happened, the knocking became more frantic. It was Alphys - or maybe the fake Alphys - trying to get in to save Dipper and the strange girl. However, that wasn't how this would go.

"AND DON'T THINK ABOUT CONTACTING HER. I'VE BLOCKED ALL COMMUNICATION," Mettaton added. "I'VE GOT AN AUDIENCE OUT THERE THAT WISHES FOR ACTION, AND THAT'S WHAT WE'LL GIVE THEM, ALL THREE OF US. YOU TWO CAN DIE AND I WILL SUCCEED! AND IN MY NEW FORM TOO!"

"HOWEVER, ENOUGH CHITCHAT. WE HAVE AN AUDIENCE TO MEET. IT'S TIME FOR 'THE REVENGE OF THE KILLER ROBOT'!"

There was a blinding flash of light. Dipper put his hand in front of his face to cover his eyes. However, there was a form in the column of light. Then, it was over as quickly as it happened. That's when he heard Mettaton… the real Mettaton's voice.

"OOOOOHHH YESSS!" He shouted in the darkness, his voice less robotic that before.

A few seconds of waiting. The tension. The girl's hand on his shoulder. That's when it happened. Behind him, light began to stream through. No. Sunlight. Sunlit began to stream through. There was curtain behind him the whole time and before he knew it, he saw the entire audience. When they saw him, they cheered so loudly, it almost made him go deaf. Now he definitely felt out of place. He was okay with cameras in a way, but doing it live in front of a bunch of people who were watching him directly and who he could see? That made him scared.

(Put on that Death by Glamour!)

Suddenly, the beat to a song was heard and the crowd screamed. The girl pulled his sleeve and Dipper turned away from the crowd. A spotlight fell onto both Dipper and the girl beside him. Fog covered the stage as a figure approached them. Then, a third spotlight came on, revealing Mettaton. His pose was strange as his legs were spread apart and his arms were as well. However, this didn't intimidate the girl beside Dipper. She finally took her hand off Dipper's arm and stood a little ways from Dipper. She had a look on her face. It was a look of DETERMINATION.

The mystery girl began dancing to the beat. She faced Mettaton but also subtly faced the crowd too. She stepped to the beat and occasionally would twirl and take a step. Upon seeing this, Dipper couldn't help but stand there in shock. Sure, she was good at dancing, but they were up against a killer robot here! The girl gave an urging look as Mettaton joined in a dance of his own.

Timing each movement to the beat, he put his leg straight up to the sky next to his chest and grabbed it with his hand. He twirled before putting his leg down fast and far in front of him, causing him to do the splits. Then, he put his other leg out to try and kick the mystery girl. However, the girl was prepared, and she jumped over it and landed on Mettaton's leg.

Doing the same motion as last time, Mettaton put his leg beside his head, causing the girl to be thrown. She landed on the top of his feet, doing a ballet pose with her arms forming an arc above her head and her leg stretched behind her so she was balancing on one head. As the robotic host put his leg down, the girl jumped and landed on all fours in order to stop herself from skidding off.

However, Dipper soon noticed that with his leg stretched out, Mettaton did a swipe with his leg. As Dipper jumped over the leg, Mettaton threw him into the air with his arms.

Time went slowly. And as it did, something finally clicked. It felt… weird. Like a whole new power was unleashed. His muscles that had burned from running and jumping so much suddenly felt powerful again. His senses seemed sharper. He recognized this power. He had felt it once before. The other time, it was with Chara and it was intoxicating. However, this power, despite being the same, felt different. In that instant, he understood. This was his power, not Chara's. He owned this. He was powerful. He was DETERMINED.

 _*Despite everything, it's still you!_

Mini Mettatons came towards Dipper with hearts that were supposed to "hurt". However, he used their flat surfaces to come back down to the ground, all the while flipping and dodging the "bombs". When he landed, he struck a pose, with one of his hands at his was and another near his eye, making sideways peace sign. The crowd cheered and he could hear his sister cheering.

"THAT'S IT, DIPPER! EMBRACE THE SPOTLIGHT!"

The girl was beside him, smiling. She took out a starfait and drank it. Dipper decided to follow suit. Product placement made the ratings skyrocket. Then, Dipper and the girl improved a dance together. Both of them stomped to the beat with their heads lowered before lifting their heads and grabbing each other's hands. Without releasing, Dipper and the girl twirled and did a kick to the side of the stage. When they let their hands go, they spun with their legs in the air and then landed with their legs stretched out.

After doing that, they both noticed that Mettaton was dancing in between the two. First, he spun with his arms close to his body. Then, he put his leg up in the air and fell back until he was lying on the stage. After laying that pose for a while, he spun his legs until he placed them on the ground and stood up in a fluid motion. While standing up, he grabbed Dipper and the girl's hands and stood them up as well, his arms crossed across his body. He pulled the two humans towards the opposite sides they were on, causing them to spin.

Upon nearly reaching the end of the music, the two humans stopped spinning as they struck a pose. Dipper and the girl had their upstage arms and legs out stretched and Mettaton, who was in between them, did his classic pose, with his arms and legs stretched. This made the three dancers make the shape of a star as the music ended.

Dipper looked over the crowd, gasping for breath from the exertion. He held his pose as the audience stared long and hard at them, before breaking into a ceremonious applause. He smiled as he saw Mabel bouncing in her seat. Amidst the cheers, she spoke with the people around her with pride, pointing to her brother before beaming once again. He then turned to the girl beside him. She smiled at him before they walked over to each other. She extended her hand towards him with a grin.

"You did amazing," she congratulated as Dipper took her hand. This surprised Dipper. She could speak? He thought she was mute and only spoke in sign language! Not only that, but she was the mysterious voice! Her voice was too similar to not be.

"Well, you did too! It's like you've done this before!" He replied. The girl smirked a little before Mettaton spoke. Immediately, the two champions turned towards the crowd.

"What a performance! What a dance! Let's give a hand to these magnificent darlings!" The crowd applauded once again before they hushed themselves when the robotic host continued. "Now, let's introduce these two darlings!"

The robotic host grabbed the girl by the shoulder and smiled knowingly at the crowd. "Voicing the Great Dr. Alphys and dancing alongside our fine contestant, we have a real treat for you! You see, beauties and gentlebeauties. This is no ordinary girl! You have seen her before, though she has changed a lot since her debut. She is the great..."

Dipper and the audience looked on in curiosity. Suspense filled the air, where it hung for a while until Mettaton chose to reveal the secret.

"FRISK PINES!"

The audience gasped all at once. A shocked look crossed Dipper's face as he put a hand over his mouth. All this time, he had wondered about his cousin. All this time, he had viewed her as a mystery. Now, she stood right beside him. She was the one who fought this killer robot the first time! No wonder her name was not revealed. She would be beyond famous.

Frisk grinned, although her eyes conveyed that she did not like speaking in front of such a large amount of people. She cleared her throat before finding her voice.

"Hello, beauties! ...And... gentlebeauties. As you now know, my name is Frisk Pines," she began, finding it easier to speak as she continued. "I know some of you already knew I was in the first "Attack of the Killer Robot", while others are quite surprised. I don't blame you. I still don't know how I did it all those years ago, unrehearsed."

"I have been trying to get a degree in politics for years now. I have spent so many years trying to get my degree that I haven't had much time to spend with family, including family I haven't even seen before. That is why I am planning on staying with my mom, Toriel, and my dad, Sans, for the rest of the summer, here in Gravity Falls!"

It was like everyone collectively decided to shriek at the exact same time. Mabel and her friends were chief among them. Like with most things, Dipper was stunned. First, he met his cousin. Then, she was planning on staying with them for the rest of the summer. The hero of the monsters, his cousin, was going to spend time with them.

"Anyways, I'd like to thank this wonderful audience member for joining me on the recreation of this epic fight. He was truly amazing!" Frisk continued as she brought Dipper close to her. The audience applauded him. They really did like him! He had danced and won.

"What's your name?" Frisk whispered, smiling softly at him. "I mean, your full name."

"Uh... well, here's the funny thing..." Dipper began with a sheepish look. "My full name is Dipper Pines... I'm your first cousin, once removed. My dad's name is Kris."

The microphone in Frisk's hands dropped with a thud. Its impact echoed around the area. However, Dipper paid no attention, for Frisk was staring right at him, her hands covering her mouth and she became teary-eyed. Mettaton had heard the news also and he was the one that made the show go on.

"Well, Gravity Falls! We had a ground-breaking revelation! This wasn't just a show; it was a family reunion!" He announced, his voice booming far and wide. "This gentlebeauty right here is Dipper Pines, Frisk's first cousin, once removed! What a stunning turn of events! What a heartfelt reunion!"

Immediately after Mettaton said this, Frisk ran up to Dipper and scooped him up in a hug. Dipper shifted uncomfortably in the embrace, but then blushed. The crowd went "awwwww..." all at once, but she didn't seem to care. Unlike Dipper, she forgot about the crowd entirely. Then, she finally released her hold on him, but continued to look him right in the eyes.

"Mason..." Frisk murmured.

Dipper looked at his feet sheepishly. "I prefer to go by Dipper."

"I can't believe it! I haven't seen you since you were a little guy," she exclaimed, happily. "You look so much like Kris. Why didn't I see it before? And... where's your twin sister?"

The audience gasped again as Dipper pointed at his sister. All eyes turned to Mabel. Once she noticed the attention, she smiled and blushed. Mettaton was quick to keep the show rolling.

"Well, come on up, beautiful! Your cousin is waiting," he said as he motioned for the crowd to part and let her through. Mabel was hesitant to take the first few steps, but then she raced to get up on the stage.

"And what might your name be, darling?" Mettaton asked as he bent down to be at eye level with his fan.

Mabel was full of joy. Her embarrassment left her as she let out a big answer. "My name is Mabel Pines!"

"Well, Mabel, I introduce you to your cousin."

Mabel looked at Mettaton in amazement. Her hero was right in front of her and she was suddenly speechless. Then, she turned to Frisk. Frisk's eyes were threatening to spill happy tears. Mabel was the first one to speak.

"I can see why your my cousin! Nice sweater!" Mabel complimented as she came closer to Frisk.

Frisk was quick to hug Mabel. She held Mabel as tight as she could. Mabel grinned from ear-to-ear. When they pulled away, Frisk wiped her tears away with her arm. Then, she turned to address the audience.

"This is the family I was talking about," Frisk started. "I haven't seen Dipper and Mabel since they were babies. I'm older than I look, but I still have a long way to go. I have missed watching them grow up. I didn't even know they were here! I hope to spend as much time as I can with them. Family is everything to me."

"Well spoken, darling. Thank you for doing this final performance with me," Mettaton said, patting Frisk on the back. "And thank you, Gravity Falls! You have been a great audience. Alas, I must go. I have a long road ahead of me, but I want you to know that I live for you. I live for my fans. If I have made you smile, cry, and laugh, that's good enough for me. You have been an amazing audience. I won't ever forget you!"

With that, Mettaton left the stage, waving at his adoring fans. Frisk waved as well, but she was somewhat distracted by her cousins beside her. She hugged them closely and smiled at the crowd. The crowd loved all of them, and yet Dipper only cared about Frisk and his sister. He had to speak to them. Talk to both of them at the Mystery Shack.

He had so many questions. He had so much to ask.

* * *

When Sans drove up in his car and found Frisk among Dipper and Mabel, he was grinning ear-to-ear and it was apparent, even in monster form, when he was always grinning. Unfortunately, there wasn't an extra room in the Mystery Shack. Frisk was easy and she was willing to sleep on the couch on the nights she spent with Sans. The other nights, she would sleep in Toriel's school. Sans didn't mind. He loved the schoolteacher too much.

"So, you prefer to go by Dipper?" Frisk asked her cousin when they were at the kitchen table. Sans was in his room, probably taking a nap, and Mabel went up to go get a scrapbook to show Frisk.

"Yeah. I just don't like my name too much..." Dipper admitted, rubbing his arm.

"No no! I understand! I just don't want to make you uncomfortable," she replied defensively. "I can't believe I haven't spent any time with you recently..."

"I just... I can't believe you were speaking to me through my earpiece all along! I've wanted to ask you so many questions. I've been reading your manuscript," he rambled on, pulling out the manuscript in question and giving it to her. She looked at the title and smiled.

"That's right! 'The Sunlit Era'. Are you enjoying it?"

"Enjoying it? It's so informative! I'm finally learning more about my family history, even if it isn't my blood family," Dipper responded excitedly.

"Family was never about blood for me," she said. "Every monster I've met is one of my family members. Your dad is my cousin. You guys are my cousins as well. Family is who I want it to be."

"I'VE GOT IT!" Mabel shouted as she ran down the stairs. Frisk turned and watched as her cousin placed a scrapbook in front of her.

She grinned. "What's this?"

"This is my Summer scrapbook! It's gonna have all of the mind-blowing events that happen while we're here in Gravity Falls and from what has happened so far, I'm worried I'll run out of room!" Mabel exclaimed.

Frisk laughed. "Welcome to my world! Imagine my surprise when I suddenly found myself with monster friends!"

"Tell me about it!" Mabel and Dipper replied at the same time. Upon realizing they answered at the same time, they frowned and looked down. Frisk's gaze hopped between both of them before she spoke.

"I'll tell you what. I'm going to see if I can find my camera. Feel free to talk while I'm gone," Frisk said. Before anyone could stop her, she was walking up the stairs at a fast pace and went into a room. When the door closed, the Pines twins were alone with only unspoken words to finally be said.

"Mabel, are you okay?" Dipper finally asked.

"Why are you asking me? If we're talking about the… incident, I should be asking you. You're the one who was in the middle of it... I was just... a side character," Mabel replied, looking down at her scrapbook.

"That's not true," he responded harshly, but for good reason. Mabel's head jerked up to look at him. "You were in the middle of it too. I almost killed you!"

"Chara. Chara almost killed me," she said, this time correcting him. "It wasn't your fault, Dipper."

"It was. I was the one that made that awful deal. I was selfish. I've been reading all these books and studying monsterkind so I will know better next time. I don't want to harm another person in my family."

"You're working yourself up over nothing, Dipper. Chara manipulated your feelings. That's what Sans told me. I was so selfish that I didn't even realize it! I was too busy having fun that I missed the signs... and here I am doing it again!" Mabel shouted as she came across a realization. "I've been ignoring you again! With the karaoke competition and the Mettaton show... I've been making the same mistake again!"

"I made the deal with Chara so that I would receive knowledge. Afterwards, I wanted to learn everything to prevent it from happening again and didn't realize I was falling back on the same habit that got us here!"

"But knowledge is power, Dipper. Partying is what? A distraction?!" Mabel shouted as tears threatened to spill from her eyes.

"Wendy said that everyone has a coping mechanism. Yours is partying and mine is studying. I think we just want to avoid talking about what happened in Judgement Hall," Dipper concluded. He sighed. "So, I want to talk about it. Are you okay?"

Mabel was silent for a moment as she wiped tears from her eyes. It seemed as though she was trying not to cry. Then, as she finally decided to let the tears spill, she spoke. "I thought I was going to lose you, Dipper! Seeing you try to hurt us and... and... It just... I thought... I could've stopped it. It's all my fault! I'm so sorry..."

He sat there, watching his sister cry. It hurt! In his mind, Mabel wasn't to blame. It was his stupid actions. She shouldn't blame herself for it. And it was then that Dipper knew that she had blaming herself this whole time. It was strange how people coped with emotions. How many times since the Chara incident has she asked him to come to an event with her? Her begging had seemed to double afterwards. How could he have been such a fool?! She had been blaming herself, and the invites to the events were a way to make it up to him. He had never thought that she would blame herself.

"Mabel, I'm sorry," he said, causing her to look up. "I thought this whole time you would've been blaming me for this whole thing."

"Why would I do that?!" She cried out.

"I thought you would blame me the same way I blamed myself."

"Well, that's a stupid thing to do."

"It's stupid that you blame yourself, Mabel."

"Shut up!" She said, this time playfully.

Dipper laughed a little, as did Mabel. "We'll be together forever, right?" she asked.

"I sure hope so," he replied confidently. "Let's promise never to blame ourselves for what happened."

Mabel nodded. "Yeah. It was all Chara's fault!" She wiped her tears with the sleeve of her sweater.

A door opened and Frisk came out with a camera. The camera itself seemed to be good quality. It hung from her neck as she walked down the stairs. "Sorry that took me a while. I just couldn't find it."

Dipper couldn't help but notice a look in Frisk's eyes. Her eyes sparkled, as if she knew. She knew that a conversation had happened. Maybe she had even taken a longer time finding the camera in order to have their feelings be resolved. However, this was not the time to bring it up. Besides, he knew from inferences in Frisk's manuscript that she was good at manipulating situations.

"I say we have a proper family photo," Frisk suggested with a smile. "This very camera captured the photo with your dad, Sans, myself..." her smile drooped a little. "And your grandfather... Papyrus."

"So, is this like a next generation photo?" Mabel asked, looking towards Frisk rather happily.

"Sort of. It's more of a 'Look how big the family's getting!' photo," Frisk explained playfully. Her grin was now ear-to-ear. "Besides, I haven't seen you two in years."

"How about we pose in front of the Mystery Shack?" Dipper suggested. It was the right time of day and there was a bunch of golden flowers surrounding a fence post outside. It was a perfect place to pose.

"That's what I was thinking!" Frisk replied with a surprised expression. "I already told Sans to meet us out there. For all I know, he probably took a shortcut."

"That's Sans for ya!" Mabel shouted excitedly. Then, she turned to Dipper. "Race ya!"

She bolted as fast she could. "That's not fair!" Dipper yelled in fake frustration. He laughed as he ran out of the house part of the Mystery Shack after her.

Frisk laughed as she quickly stood up from the chair she was sitting in. She could already tell that these kids were great. They were amazing. Hopefully, she would be able to see them graduate and be a part of their lives. However, life wasn't exactly on her side.

As if on cue, she grimaced as a stabbing pain came from her palm. Gasping from the pain, she looked at the white cloth surrounding her hand. Red began to seep through the fabric and rub off of Frisk's fingers as she rubbed her palm. What was worse than that was the fact that this pain was familiar. Timeline 26... The time was judgement day. She could almost see his blue eye.

Working through the pain, she pulled out a similar piece of cloth and wrapped it around her hand. Then, she applied pressure to it until the pain subsided. She let out a sigh of relief. She didn't have time to waste. The kids were waiting for her outside. She could change the bandage later.

Quickly, she ran out of the Mystery Shack, with a camera in her hands and an excuse on her tongue.

* * *

23-8-15 9-19 1 16-15-23-5-18-6-21-12 5-14-20-9-20-25 15-6 12-9-7-8-20 1-14-4 25-5-20 3-1-14-14-15-20 4-5-6-5-1-20 8-9-19 2-18-15-20-8-5-18?

 **1 4-18-5-1-13**


	14. DETERMINATION's Cost

**A/N Hey guys! Sorry that this is a shorter chapter. The fact is, the next one is going to be a game changer. However, I'd also like to announce that I am going to be revising the first four or five chapters while I'm writing the next chapter. I have grown as a writer since I first started this and I feel it is time to update the first chapters while I continue. Anyways, stay tuned!**

Frisk was, without a doubt, the best cousin Dipper and Mabel ever had, the same way Sans was the best great uncle they ever had. Despite how young she looked, she was wise and knew about as much as any 30 year old. However, she didn't wave her knowledge in front of them. She just told them what they needed to know. Quickly, she became their best friends.

On this particular morning, Frisk was out of bed by the time Mabel came out of her room. Mabel was in her sparkly pink pajamas and Frisk was just in summer pajamas, with matching purple shirt and shorts. Mabel bounced down the stairs toward her cousin before giving Frisk a big hug. The two girls hugged for a while before pulling away and talking to each other.

"Good morning, Mabel," Frisk greeted. "Sleep well?"

"Sleep well? I had a dream that I was riding a unicorn. Of course I slept well!" Mabel replied with a big grin on her face. "Dipper wanted to sleep in a bit. I think he stayed up late reading."

Frisk shook her head in feigned exasperation. "What will we do with him?"

"I guess we're just gonna have to make him breakfast," Mabel answered, her hands at her hips, shaking her head.

"Okay," Frisk responded. "What do you guys want for breakfast?"

"You're going to make breakfast?" asked Mabel, looking at Frisk in amazement.

"Of course. 'It's the most important meal of the day.'" She said this statement while doing her best impression of Ms. Toriel. Mabel snickered in delight. Then, Frisk went into the kitchen. Mabel followed. "I'm able to cook french toast, pancakes, eggs, bacon, and biscuits and gravy. Any of that sound good?"

"Oh my gosh…" Mabel replied in a hushed voice. "You are so talented. Make us some french toast and bacon!"

Frisk grinned. "Coming right up."

Quickly, she got out some bread and made the batter for the french toast. While she soaked the bread in the batter, she got out some bacon from the fridge and somehow managed to find not just one, but two pans in the strange kitchen. She cooked the french toast and the bacon at the same time. Mabel was in awe at how skilled her cousin was at cooking.

"somethin' certainly smells good in here." Mabel turned around to see Sans in his monster form at the entrance to the kitchen. He was already in his blue jacket and had his hands in the pockets.

"Good morning!" Mabel greeted as she hugged the lazy skeleton. Sans' grin got larger as he put one arm around his niece and messed up her hair with the other.

"hey, kid," he said softly. Mabel walked to the side as Frisk came up.

"Hello, Dad." She hugged Sans tightly.

"hey, frisk. i see you're making breakfast for us this morning," Sans replied happily.

"Well, I thought I'd make myself useful while I'm here. Besides, I thought you'd want to do absolutely nothing today," Frisk reasoned with a wink.

Sans laughed. "can't argue with that logic," he responded. "i'm mostly just glad you're here."

"Yeah. Me too." She smiled before flipped the bacon. "Mom seems happier after moving here. Did you have something to do with that?"

Sans shrugged. "maybe."

"What do you mean, 'maybe'?!" Mabel interjected. "You two danced during the Costume Ball! That means you two are meant for each other!"

"Ha! I knew it!" Frisk said, giving Sans a smirk.

He shook his head. "i thought you came here to spend time with family, not give me a hard time."

Frisk gave a shrug that seemed to match Sans' shrugs. "Eh. Same thing." Immediately after saying that, she was finished with the bacon and french toast. With the two pans in her hands, she flipped them over her head and, somehow, they landed in the sink with two thuds. Mabel clapped as Frisk brought over plates of food to her and Sans.

"BONE apetit," she said as she placed the plates in front of them.

"that's my girl," Sans replied with a prideful grin before digging in. Mabel quickly went to the fridge and found a bottle of maple syrup. She poured a generous amount of the gooey substance over her french toast before eating up. Frisk sat down in one of the chairs and started eating her own food when she heard Dipper come down the stairs.

"Good morning, Dipper!" Frisk greeted.

Dipper looked at his family with a small smile. "What's all this?" He asked, pointing at the food.

"I cooked breakfast," Frisk explained as she quickly got a plate of french toast and put it on the table at an empty spot. "French toast and bacon."

Dipper sat down at his spot at the table. However, it was clear that something was on his mind. It didn't seem to be something worrying, judging by the fact he genuinely smiled at his family.

"what's on your mind, dipper?" Sans asked with his usual lazy grin.

"Well, I just spent a bit of last night reading your manuscript," he replied, referring to Frisk. "And I got to the history portion."

"Oh boy," Frisk responded, turning to give Sans a side glance. "I knew you would have questions about that."

Dipper became more bolder upon that statement and looked at Frisk with DETERMINATION and a yearning for answers in his gaze. "So, I'm guessing it's okay if I ask the questions, then?"

"Aw, c'mon, Dipper! It's our cousin! I bet she doesn't mind," Mabel said, speaking for her cousin. Frisk grinned and nodded in confirmation.

"Alright. First, what made you climb Mt. Ebott?"

"I was curious," Frisk replied, looking down at her plate. "I'm a naturally curious person, though I usually find out by doing, rather than asking questions. There was a legend that any climber who climbed up Mt. Ebott were doomed to never return. I was curious about it and the next thing I know, the kids at the orphanage dare me to climb to the top."

Frisk let out a tiny laugh. "I guess I never did make it to the top!"

"How did you meet Dunkle Sans?" Mabel asked out of the blue.

"I was walking through the snowy part of the Underground called Snowdin. I felt like I was being watched and then suddenly, a shadow appeared behind me. I turned around and the rest is history!" she answered with a hint of humor in her telling of it. Sans let out a chuckle himself.

"the ol' whoopee cushion in the hand trick!"

"IT'S ALWAYS FUNNY!" Mabel and Frisk finished at the same time.

"Right. Well, you said you had people to go back to when Toriel let you go out of the Ruins, but then you said that you wanted to stay with her. Why did you change your answer?" Dipper continued, putting the conversation back on topic.

"I knew the only way to get her to see I had to leave was to say I had some life to get back too. Otherwise, I would be stuck in the Ruins with no possibility of saving the monsters."

"How did you know that for sure?" Dipper asked.

Frisk's smile dropped as she started fidgeting with her fingers. "I just did. I thought like Toriel would."

"How did you dodge the attacks of every single monster you came across? According to some of the monsters I've talked to, you went passed them without more than a scratch or two," he continued, writing stuff down on a notepad he always carried around.

"I'm just agile. It's hard to explain. I was good at dodging," was all Frisk said.

Dipper noticed this hesitance and was very concerned. Frisk seemed like one of the few people that would tell him the truth when he asked for it. Now, she wasn't responding to the few questions he had. There was one last question on his mind that he hoped Frisk would answer.

"You mention human traits in your book, including DETERMINATION. You mention the abilities of these traits, except for DETERMINATION. Why?"

Frisk looked down at her empty plate, unresponsive. Her mouth twitched occasionally as she looked down at the bandage around her right hand. Sans' lazy demeanor was gone as he simply looked at her in concern. Then, he sighed.

"don't you have a meeting with your mom, today?" Sans brought up. Dipper gave Sans a betrayed look, but his Dunkle gave him a pleading look, as if to say he would explain. "why don't you get ready in dipper and mabel's room while they're eating."

Frisk gave a half-hearted smile and a nod before getting up, putting her plate away, and then going upstairs. Sans watched her carefully as she went upstairs. He sighed when he eventually heard the closing of a door. Then, Dipper and Mabel gave him questioning looks.

"What was that all about?" Mabel asked with a concerned look.

Dipper felt at fault, now that Frisk wasn't in the room. Immediately, he started to apologize. "Dunkle Sans, I'm sorry but I was just asking questions and-"

Sans held up his hand to quiet Dipper's apology before speaking. "dipper, you were fine. you're just as curious as i was when i was a young skeleton," he responded with a chuckle. "i promised myself that i would never hide something from you kids again, unless it's a surprise gift, and i am gonna keep that promise. however, this secret isn't mine to tell. it is partially frisk's too."

"What do you mean?" Dipper asked.

"look, kids. frisk is special the same way you two are special. this specialness isn't shown until you know… well, you. but, frisk's fragile," Sans continued, explaining everything with a steady voice. "yes. i know her secret, and i wish i could tell you the entire thing, but this is frisk's secret. it ain't mine to tell. what i can say is that it isn't easy to talk about. it took years for me to accept it and many more to learn how to live with this knowledge."

"So, you're saying we should talk to Frisk?" Mabel replied, showing that she was just as curious as Dipper was.

"yes, but beware. knowledge is powerful, but it brings the curse of knowing with it," their Dunkle warned. However, when the twins looked back at him with questioning eyes, he simply sighed and shrugged. "you'll understand someday. hopefully, not too late. give her some time, though. you can bombard her with questions, but not here."

This time, it was Dipper's turn to sigh. "Alright. Thanks, Sans."

The door to Dipper and Mabel's room opened and Frisk came out. She was in her usual striped sweater and black pants. It seemed that she had millions of the same sweater and same pants. It was just her fashion. She came around to Sans and she smiled as if she wasn't asked questions about her past.

"Alright. I'll be off! Love you guys!" Immediately, she gave Dipper a smothering hug. He tried to return the favor, but it seemed he was not as strong. Then, she gave Mabel a hug, who let out a happy squeal. Frisk simply grinned. Finally, she went to Dunkle Sans and hugged him. "Love you, Dad!"

"love ya too, frisk. hug your mom for me," Sans replied with a chuckle.

"Will do! See you around."

The door shut behind her, leaving the other three Pines together. Sans looked at his grandniece and grandnephew. He waved his hand, using magic to put his empty plate in the kitchen sink. Then, he gave Dipper and Mabel an exhausted expression.

"i'm gonna rest all day today," he informed them with a lazy look. However, it was clear he was somber about something. "what i want you to know is that no matter what you find out about frisk, no matter what she tells you, it was not her fault. i made the mistake of blaming the victim."

"I promise we won't," Mabel replied solemnly after a couple of seconds of silence. Getting out of her chair, she hugged Dunkle Sans. Pulling away, Sans patted her head. Then, he looked at Dipper and Mabel.

"i used to be like you two when i was younger. if you weren't so much like me, i would've told you to not worry about it, but then that would only make you curiouser," Sans said with a shrug. "just… be smart, and be kids, for heaven's sake. being childish is when you find out most about the world."

"why else do you think i tell puns?" He continued, before he held his hand out, about to snap. "well, thanks for listening. love you both."

"Love you!" Mabel answered.

"Have a nice nap," Dipper responded. With that, Sans was gone, leaving the twins to ponder.

Dipper and Mabel looked at each other. "We're both on the same page?" Mabel asked, a kind smile forming.

Her brother followed suit, nodding as well. "Let's go find our cousin."

* * *

Ms. Toriel's school was a lot like a village on the days that there weren't any Gravity Falls social events taking place within its walls. It was most likely because it was summer. Students walked through the halls, talking to one another about their plans and whether they wanted to eat in the cafeteria or at the diner. It wasn't super busy, but it did feel like a close knit community.

Dipper and Mabel entered the school and immediately felt at home. It was just the way the school felt.

"Where should we search first?" Dipper asked, looking at the multiple hallways around them that led to different places.

"Maybe we could visit Toriel," she answered. "Not only might she know where Frisk is, but we haven't seen her in a while."

"Good point," he replied with a nod. Then, Dipper smiled. "Let's go. I think her office is this way."

They ran through the hallways, going past many students. Finally, they reached a door that was labeled, "Headmistress Toriel". Mabel was quick to knock on the door, as it was polite to do so. There was the sound of someone moving papers within the room. Then, the door opened to reveal the tall headmistress. Upon seeing the Twins, Toriel was obviously delightfully surprised.

"Dipper and Mabel Pines. How nice it is to see you!" She greeted with a big smile. "Please, come in!"

"Thank you, Ms. Toriel," Dipper said. She opened the door wider for the two siblings to come in. Immediately, it was apparent that this was Toriel's room. It was written all over it.

In front of them was a giant desk with tons of paperwork on it and a steaming-hot mug. To the left was a cold hearth, which was unused during the hot months. To the right was a bookshelf full of books on history, mathematics, science, English, and random snail facts. The back wall had a window that illuminated a small kitchen, which simply had a stove with a teapot and a counter with mugs on it.

Toriel closed the door behind her before immediately pulling up two chairs in front of her desk for the Pines Twins to sit in. "Come. Sit," she insisted. Dipper and Mabel sat down in their chairs just as they were told. "Do you want any Golden Flower Tea?"

"Yes, please!" Mabel answered, enthusiastically.

"If it's not too much trouble," Dipper added.

"It's no trouble at all. I've already got some hot tea here," the headmistress replied, grabbing two mugs and pouring tea into them. Then, she gave them to the Twins before sitting down in her desk. "It has certainly been awhile, my children. What has been going on?"

"Well, I won a karaoke competition," started Mabel as she thought. "Then, we found out an evil cult took away our memories."

Toriel put down her mug after taking a sip. "Of course. The Cult of the Blind Eye. They were bothersome, I will tell you that," she said, before her expression changed to one of annoyance and frustration. "The nerve they had to take the memories of my students. It will take us years to finally give them back to everyone."

"Wait. You were there?" Dipper interjected, surprised by the headmistress' knowledge.

"Oh, of course. Sans didn't want us to come, but we did," Toriel replied. "We found out the truth and vowed to give everyone their memories back in due time."

"And then, I got to see Mettaton's show!" His sister continued, not realizing the conversation had moved on a bit. "Dipper danced and acted with Mettaton and we met Frisk!"

Toriel's smile grew wider. "That's right! Frisk told me about that," she said. "She came by this morning for a surprise visit. She said you were perfect for the part, Dipper."

"I know," Dipper replied, rubbing the back of his arm awkwardly because of the praise. "She told me that."

"More like she told him that a dozen times," Mabel added, smiling pridefully at her brother.

"Well, I'm glad you three are getting along," the headmistress said, before she stood up and took her mug to the counter for another cup of tea. "More importantly, I'm happy that you three are okay, physically and mentally."

The siblings looked at each other before turning towards Toriel. "I would be lying if I said there weren't a couple of problems we had, but we've worked through them," Dipper replied, speaking for both of them. Mabel nodded.

"Yes. Of course," Toriel answered, before turning around. Her look was that of a wise woman, who felt she had lived too long, and yet distributed advice to those who didn't have her experience. "Then, once you solve those problems, life throws more pressing problems on your plate. It's like how the waves pull back from the beach, only to come back to shower the sand with more water than it did before."

"There is no way to solve all of life's problems. I'm still solving problems from decades ago," she admitted with a sigh, putting her hand over her heart. "However, my children, those problems give life meaning and makes you realize what is valuable in your life."

The study was silent as everyone within it seemed to absorb those words and interpret them. It made Mabel and Dipper realize that this was indeed a lull in their problems. A time for them to rest and process what had happened weeks before. However, the problems would return, more powerful than before. What problem could possibly be more threatening than Chara? The twins had this same thought and they hoped it wasn't true.

Toriel sat down in her desk with a sigh. "Ah, I've been rambling, haven't I? You two must've come here for something, besides talking to your great aunt, I suppose."

"We were looking for Frisk and she said she was going to meet with you," Dipper answered.

"That's right. We had a nice little chat," Toriel confirmed. "Then, she said she wanted to explore the campus. She might still be around, of course. I could call her through the intercoms and ask her to come here so you two can-"

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. The Pines Twins turned towards the door. The headmistress stood from her seat and called out to those beyond the door. "Come in."

The student who came in was Katie, the leader of the Urban Legends club. Her face was flushed and she was panting, as if she had been running. When she came in, she rushed past Dipper and Mabel's chairs and placed her hands of Toriel's desk in order to stabilize herself. She continued to pant like a dog until Toriel spoke.

"Katie," she said, putting a hand on the young girl's head. "Why have you come?"

"I-It's… It's Quinny… Sh-she… said that she saw Alex in the woods surrounding Mt. Ebott," Katie explained between breaths. "She ordered me to… to tell you… to meet her there."

"Alex?" Mabel repeated under her breath, as if unsure of what she heard.

"Then I must go immediately!" Toriel replied, her voice was a mix of concern and urgency. "I'm sorry, you two, but you will have to search for Frisk on your own until I come back!"

"Wait! What's wrong with-" Mabel tried to ask, but by the time the words left her mouth, the headmistress was gone. She crossed her arms in concern. "Alex…"

"He's been missing," Katie replied, finally recovering from her dash.

"Missing?" Dipper repeated in disbelief.

"Yeah," she said with a nod before continuing. "Alex usually goes on adventures away from his dorm for three or four days, sometimes five. It's been six days and Toriel's been getting real worried. Some of us went looking for him, but so far, Quinny's sighting is our only lead."

"Why would he do this?" Mabel asked unhappily.

Katie just shrugged. "None of us knew what he was doing before. We don't know why this is taking longer now. I'm sorry."

"Hey. Are you okay?" Dipper watched his sister carefully. She seemed to be in a state of shock. However, she finally looked up and nodded. Mabel smiled sadly.

"Yeah. I'm fine," she lied. However, Dipper didn't press it. He simply nodded, knowing Mabel would need time. "Let's just finish our mission."

"Hey, wait!" Katie said, looking directly at Dipper. "You're that kid who joined our club! Uh… your name is… uh… it's a constellation and a famous one too… Uh… Ursa Major!"

"Uh, actually, it's Dipper," he replied with an awkward smile.

"Darn! I was so close!" Katie shouted frustratedly. Then, her friendly grin returned. "Anyways, you said you had a mission to complete?"

"I mean… it's not anything big," he admitted, rubbing his right arm. "We're just looking for Frisk."

"Oh! I heard she came to Gravity Falls. In fact, it would be an honor to meet her," she answered with a grin. "I got it! Come to the Urban Legends club and we can work together as a team to find her."

Mabel somewhat perked up at the offer. "But… don't you guys go out and solve mysteries like my nerdy brother?" Dipper gave Mabel an expression of playful annoyance.

Katie sighed. "It's been slow today. The most interesting urban legend we have involves opening the door at midnight to see if the supposed 'doorstep demon' shows your darkest fears," she explained. "Even I admit that one kinda sucks since my worst fear is being alone. The demon would probably just run away! So, in short, anything is better than waiting for midnight."

"Great," Dipper replied. "Where are the others?"

"We're all here!" A voice shouted behind them, causing the twins to jolt a bit. Behind them were the other four members of the Urban Legend club. Petra was the one in front and the one who announced their arrival. The red-haired girl came up to the twins with a smile. Cameron and Cooper were behind Megan, who simply smiled.

"To be honest, Petra saw you come in and told us you were here," Megan responded in her calm tone. "She may have been eavesdropping on your conversation."

"I do no regret it!" Petra replied, before turning to Mabel. "I don't think we met! As you heard, my name's Petra!"

Mabel grinned back at the younger girl. "I'm Mabel!"

"Nice to meet you!" she responded with an enthusiastic handshake. "Let me introduce you to team!" She went over by the other three members. "This is Megan. She's the vice president of our club. The two are Cameron and Cooper. Cameron's eyes are blue and Cooper's eyes are light brown. They both look the same because-"

"We're semi-identical twins!" Cameron and Cooper interrupted in unison.

"And we're happy to help you two find Frisk," Megan added with a comforting smile.

Dipper nodded while Mabel smiled. "How should we begin?" Mabel asked, looking to her brother.

"Well, I suggest we interview anyone going through the halls. There's bound to be someone who's seen her," he answered, looking at his new team. "If one of us stays here, they could ask Frisk to come here. Does anybody know how Toriel's intercom system works?"

"I don't think she would like it, but I think I can figure it out, given time," Cameron replied, looking a little uneasy about going against the headmistress' orders. "We might anger more than Ms. Toriel if we call every second."

Dipper tapped a finger to his head as he thought. "Toriel was planning on calling Frisk through the intercom anyway. I'm sure if we tell her, she will understand. Besides, you don't have to call every minute. You could call every five minutes. It's just long enough that it is noticeable, but not annoying enough to complain."

"I guess I'll get right on that," Cameron said with a shrug. Despite still feeling uncomfortable, his brother gave him an encouraging grin. Quickly, Cameron got the intercom device and started fiddling with it on Toriel's desk, though he didn't dare to sit in the headmistress' chair, Chairiel.

"The rest of us can search," Megan concluded, taking Dipper's next order right out of his mouth. "Check the club rooms, especially the noisy ones like band. Ask them questions. Write them down in your secret notepads."

Immediately, the club members pulled out notepads from their pockets in unison. "Right!"

"We will work in partners and cover different parts of the school," Katie continued. "Petra and Cooper, you will take the upstairs classrooms and hallways. Megan and I will take the downstairs classrooms, hallways, and the dorms. Dipper and Mabel, you will take the clubrooms, band room, and the gym."

"Okay," Dipper and Mabel replied together.

"Take your walkie talkies," Cameron added, handing out one walkie talkie to each pair. "We're all on the same frequencies, so if you find her, just contact all of us."

"Now, let's go find that celebrity," Katie ordered in a serious voice.

Then, all at once, the team split up, looking for Frisk. With the amount of planning everyone put into this plan, how hard could it be to find their cousin?

* * *

As it turned out, finding Frisk was harder than initially thought. She was as good at hiding as she was at agility. Of course, Dipper and Mabel had a few rooms left to check out. Dipper kept on reminding Mabel this. For the first time in a while, he was the optimist. They had the band room, gym, and rooms 134 and 135 to check. However, there was no news on the walkie talkies. Despite finding many people who knew where she was at a certain time, no one knew where she was at present.

It was as if Frisk had found a way to disappear.

" _Frisk Pines. Please come to Toriel's office. Your cousins are looking for you,"_ Cameron said through the intercom for the 4th time. Dipper was finishing his interview with Jeremy, the president of the Art Club. He was older from Dipper with a lean body and short black hair. However, his eyes were a strange yellow color. Despite being polite enough not to mention the color, Dipper couldn't help but feel unnerved by it.

"Frisk came in about 10 minutes ago. She was looking at our art that we were working on when the intercom came on just like it did just now," the artist told him, pushing his glasses back up his nose with fingers covered in paint. "She said she would go down to the office and then she left. It was an honor to meet her, y'know. I didn't question it."

"Thank you," Dipper replied with a grateful smile. "That will help a lot."

Jeremy nodded in response before returning to his club room. Dipper wrote down the story when Mabel came back.

"What did you get?" He asked.

"Not much. June was mostly distraught about Alex, so that's what we talked about," she answered sadly. "What she does know is that Frisk did go to the art club."

"Jeremy confirms that," he added. "Frisk went in, complimented on the art, and then left when she heard the intercom the second time. However, that was ten minutes ago and Cameron would've called if she came back."

"Well, at least you got something," Mabel said, frowning as they headed for the next room: the band room.

However, Dipper wasn't focused on the investigation as he walked. He looked at Mabel. Her head hung low and her posture was closed off. He knew his sister well enough. She wasn't doing as well as she said. Undoubtedly, she was worried sick.

"I wonder why Alex ran off," Mabel finally said, as if confirming his suspicions. "He wouldn't leave me without telling me."

Dipper stopped walking before turning to his sister. "Mabel, I'm sure he's fine. According to Katie, he's disappeared many times for days. Maybe this time, the thing he was doing took longer than he thought."

"I hope that's what it is… but… what if it's not? What if he's in trouble?" Tears threatened to spill from Mabel's eyes as she continued. "What if he ran away because he didn't love me?!"

"That's ridiculous!" Dipper said, acting more nonchalant than he felt.

"It is?"

"Yeah. Of course he loves you, Mabel. I mean, he literally made you brownies in the shape of a heart that one time! Come on! Don't get hysterical on me!" He replied. "I bet he's planning a big surprise for you and when he comes back, he'll be the same as always."

She started to smile, feeling more reassured. However, Dipper wasn't sure what he was getting himself into. He didn't know if what he was saying was true. For all he knew, there was something wrong with Alex, but there was nothing he could do at this moment. There was no way to help Alex until he was found, and that required a team.

"But, if he does breakup with you, I'm pretty sure Sans and I will have a little chat with him," Dipper said with a mischievous smile.

"I hope you're right," was all Mabel said. However, she did seem to be a little more cheery than before.

"Hey. If I'm wrong, you have the right to make me sing karaoke at the Shack," he replied, cringing at the idea, but knowing that it would be the only way to make sure Mabel didn't get mad at him in the future.

She snickered at the thought. "Alright. It's a deal."

After that, Mabel started walking again, heading straight towards the band room. He followed shortly after her with his notepad. As they went through the hall to the room, the sound of music got louder and louder. From the sounds of it, the music was supposed to be a symphony played by a whole orchestra, but it was only being played by four instruments. However, that didn't stop the epic sound of the symphony, and Dipper enjoyed every minute of it as he entered the room.

Within the room were four musicians. There was a boy with dark, somewhat purplish eyes playing the piano, providing a consistent beat and melody. In front of his instrument were two girls. One had sky blue eyes and was playing a violin, while the other had ocean blue eyes and was playing a cello. To the left of them was a boy playing the trumpet. His eyes were closed as he played a solo above the others.

The other club members noticed Dipper and Mabel the moment they entered. However, it seemed they wanted to finish before talking. Luckily, there were chairs nearby where they could sit and wait. After the trumpet solo, the piano players started to slow down the melody until it ended with a final chord. When they ended, Mabel quickly clapped at the musicians.

The trumpet player looked at them with a grin. "Thank you. Thank you," he said, bowing. The other musicians laughed at his response.

"You guys played marvelously!" Mabel complimented. "What are your guys' names?"

"Well, we mostly go by nicknames in our club," the cello player admitted. "My nickname is Octavia."

"Mine is Melody," the violin player responded, before putting a hand on the piano player's head. "This is Treble."

"I swear. I only mistook the two clefs once," Treble muttered under his breath.

"I'm Louis. I'm the club leader," the trumpet player said with a smile. "Now, why are you guys here, other than listening to our music?"

"We're looking for our cousin, Frisk. She hasn't been responding to our calls through the intercoms," Dipper explained.

The music group looked at each other before responding. "I'm afraid I've been too busy with playing to notice," Treble admitted with a frown and a shrug.

"I do think I saw a girl who might've been Frisk go past the music hall. She looked frightened," Octavia replied in a cool, collected manner. "She went towards the gym, I think. There's no other building that way."

Mabel smiled. "Thanks for the lead!" She shouted, before turning to Dipper. "C'mon. Let's go to the gym."

Dipper knew better than to resist. He had more questions to ask, like how did Frisk seem upset or why she would go to the gym, but Mabel would drag him away if she had to. "Thank you for the help," he told the music group with a thankful look.

"No problem. Come back anytime," Louis replied.

"Anyone's welcome to listen!" Melody added happily.

With a nod, Dipper followed after his sister. They walked down the hall together, walking past many students. They all greeted them kindly. This school was so friendly. It seemed like Toriel had stomped out bullying the first chance she had. It made him wonder if he would want to go to a school like this, run by a monster who cared about his wellbeing and safety first and his education second. It was certainly something to consider if he chose to switch schools.

The gym had giant double doors that formed more of an arch than the usual rectangular doorway. Over the door was a piece of stained glass, forming the Delta Rune. Dipper quickly opened the doors, only to find the room had no lights on. The only light source came from the small windows in the side, which only dimly lit the giant room. Mabel was the one who turned on the lights when they continued their search.

Well, maybe continued wasn't the right word. The more accurate word was finished. In the gym was a set of bleachers in their compact position and on top of them all was Frisk Pines, seemingly lost in thought, until the lights came on.

"Frisk!" Mabel cried out in triumph. Immediately, their cousin looked down and smiled nonchalantly.

"Oh, hey! Have you guys been exploring the school two?" Frisk said, before scanning the room around her. "This gym is certainly bigger than the last gym. You could barely fit a class in the last one, let alone two."

"What have you been doing here?" Dipper started, ignoring Frisk's try at changing the subject. "We've been calling you through the intercoms."

Frisk's smile disappeared. She jumped down from her position as she approached her cousins. "W-well… you see…I-uh… Look, this may be hard to understand, but-"

Her words were cut off as she gasped in pain. She applied pressure to her bandaged hand with her other one, but she couldn't help but bend over, as if sick.

"Frisk!" The twins shouted in panic.

"What's happening? What's wrong?" Mabel asked, putting an arm around her cousin in order to comfort her through the pain. In e meantime, Dipper pulled out his walkie talkie, hoping to call for help.

"This is Dipper. Does anybody copy?" He shouted into the walkie talkie.

" _This is Toriel. I am with Cameron. Have you found her, my child?"_

"Yes, but we need help. She's in pain. We need you!"

" _I'm coming right away!"_ With that, Toriel's voice was gone, and Dipper turned to his sister and his cousin.

"Where does it hurt?" Mabel said, sounding a bit like a doctor. Frisk didn't respond, but the way she moved seemed to indicate to Mabel that Frisk's bandaged hand was the problem. "Here. Let me see your hand."

"No!" Frisk protested, pushing Mabel's hand away. "I-it's nothing!"

"If it's really nothing, you wouldn't be in pain. Now let me see it!" Mabel argued, forcing her body up against Frisk's and taking the bandaged hand in her own. Frisk tried to pull it away, but Mabel's grip was tighter than she thought.

"Guys, stop!" Dipper shouted, coming close to try and stop the chaos. However, nothing was working.

"If… it's… nothing… let… me… SEE IT!" Mabel cried out, pulling Frisk's hand harshly towards her body. In doing so, the bandage around the hand fell off, allowing her cousin to see the damage to her hand.

Mabel looked at the hand before immediately letting out a frightened gasp, letting the hand go. She started hyperventilating, panicked tears forming in her eyes. Frisk lowered her head in defeat, now unwilling to hide the truth. When Dipper saw his cousin's hand, he put his own hands to his mouth in shock.

Her hand had a hole in the palm, going straight through it. It was as if an arrow had gone right through her hand right then, for it was bleeding badly. In fact, bleeding couldn't even begin to describe it. Surprisingly, Frisk was able to endure the pain and pick up the bandage, covering her palm with it and applying pressure. Her injured hand twitched unintentionally. Dipper had to fight the urge to vomit.

"I-I tried… to warn you…" was all Frisk said.

Mabel was the first one to speak. "What happened to your… What happened to you?"

"I-I will tell you later… I promise…" she responded, when suddenly, Toriel came in with the rest of the Urban Legends club behind her.

"Frisk! Are you okay?" She shouted, coming towards her child. Her eyes immediately fell to the bandage on Frisk's hand. She gave her child a questioning look, to which Frisk replied with a somber nod. The club members crowded around Toriel like chicks around a hen, but the headmistress pushed them away. It was a clear message that only the teacher could look. She unwrapped the bandage and looked at the injury.

Toriel's hands started to tremble as she put her other hand to her cheek. Already, the headmistress was crying and she mumbled under her breath. "Why, Frisk? What the hell is happening to you?"

Katie looked at her club members with a concerned expression. It was then that Dipper realized that Toriel had just cussed in front of children. It doesn't this was truly serious, and Frisk was in dire need of help.

"Katie, can you go get Crystal? We need her," Toriel ordered, her voice almost giving way to sobs.

"It won't work, Mom," Frisk finally said, her expression stoic, despite the pain she was undoubtedly feeling. "Don't you think I've tried?"

"Fine, my child," the headmistress conceded. "Katie, instead, call Dr. Alphys. Tell her to come with her scanner and some DT."

"Yes, Ms. Toriel," Katie responded, before heading out of the gym.

"The rest of you, come with me to the nurse's office," she told the other club members. They nodded in response. "Dipper and Mabel, stay here and take care of her. We'll be back as soon as possible."

"Okay," was all they could manage to say as everyone else ran out of the gym. The trio were left in silence as Frisk continued to apply pressure to the wound.

"To think I thought my injuries were bad after that whole incident with Chara," Dipper muttered to himself, hugging his legs to his stomach.

"You've met Chara?" Frisk asked. Dipper looked at his cousin. She seemed surprised, but grim at this news.

"Yeah," Dipper replied, not sure if he wanted to add the question, "why?" at the end of it after what happened.

She let out a sad laugh as sobs caught in her throat. "I guess that makes two of us."

Dipper's blood ran cold at the news. The implications of it left him with questions. Questions that he wanted answers to, but knew he didn't want to know. Suddenly, Dunkle Sans' words started to make sense. Did he really want to know how Chara impacted Frisk's life? What if it was more or less the same as what Dipper dealt with?

"I'm so sorry," Frisk said through sobs. "I should've told you sooner."

"Told us about what?" Mabel asked, putting an arm around Frisk to comfort her.

"You asked me how I knew plans worked through my travels through the Underground. The true answer is trial-by-error." Dipper's mind raced as Frisk continued to explain. "I have an ability… a terrible ability, which allows me to control timelines. Every time I died, I reset the timeline back at where I last "saved". I just kept dying and dying, resetting and resetting."

"I have done so many timelines. I would be kind to everyone, and then reset when the monsters were free, because I needed to know every outcome. Of course, that's when Chara came to me." Frisk paused as she wiped tears from her eyes. "She told me we could make a new outcome. I took the deal, and then… then, she started killing everyone. She killed everyone I loved, over and over and over again."

"And all I could do… was watch."

Mabel frowned and hugged Frisk close to her. "That sounds awful," she said.

"It was. The last threat in that timeline was Sans… he did what he had to. He injured me in so many timelines. When I finally gained control of myself again, I vowed to never make a deal with Chara again. I also realized what was wrong with my power. I was controlling people like pawns. So, I finally let my friends live out their happy ending forever."

"But… what happened to your hand? You told us you would explain," Dipper replied, hoping to change the subject away from Chara.

Frisk looked down at her injured hand. "It's my curse for all I did," she answered, cryptically. "I found out that I am not above consequences. It turns out that if I don't reset for long periods of time… the timelines… they catch up to me. If I reset again and go back to where I was when I started, these injuries would go away, but I refuse to do that. So now, every injury I ever endured during my journeys, even the tiniest paper cut, will come back one by one until I eventually… until the more lethal ones…" She didn't dare finish her thought. It didn't need to be said. No one in the room wanted to think about it.

The silence was deafening. However, in that silence, Dipper walked to his cousin and comforted her, wrapping his arm the same way Mabel had. They never left her side until Dr. Alphys, Toriel, Sans, and the club came through the doors.

Alphys was quick to approach Frisk, a case in her hands. She knelt in front of Frisk, placing the case carefully beside her. Sans went to be beside his grand-niece and nephew, as well as be able to talk to his daughter. Toriel simply stood back, unable to look at the injury. Alphys carefully took Frisk's bandaged hand in hers. After inspecting the red cloth, she looked at Frisk.

"I-I'm just going t-to take a look at it, okay?" She asked, her expression showing her stutter didn't mean she was nervous. Frisk nodded and Alphys unwrapped the bandage. The scientist tried to remain neutral in her reaction to the injury, but her eyes betrayed her inner emotions. She was clearly unnerved by the sight of the injury. Sans, on the other hand, was not shaken by the sight. Rather, he seemed to recognize the injury in some way. A guilty look crossed his face as he listened to Dr. Alphys.

"W-when did th-this start?" Alphys finally said, inspecting the wound.

"In terms of the wound, it started a month ago, but it got worse a couple of days ago," Frisk admitted.

"is she gonna be alright, alphys?" Sans asked, concerned for his adopted daughter.

"It's t-the same treatment as always, S-Sans," she replied as she opened up her case. Sans and Toriel both got a grim look on their faces and they looked down at the floor.

From the case, Alphys put on latex gloves. Then, she took out a syringe and a small bottle of red liquid, which was clearly not blood, due to the different red hue and more transparent properties. With great care, she put the red liquid into the syringe and, when done, wiped Frisk's arm with disinfectant. Finally, she injected the liquid into Frisk's arm.

Dipper realized as the injection was done that his cousin's breathing became deeper and more controlled. Somehow, in a short amount of time after the injection, her hand didn't look as bad as it did before. It looked like it was partially healing. Alphys put her syringe in a special used area of her case and threw away her latex gloves before standing aside.

"Y-you can take it from here, T-Toriel," she said with as much confidence as she could muster.

"Thank you, Dr. Alphys," Toriel replied, sounding more relieved. Immediately, the headmistress placed a new cloth over the wound, which wasn't bleeding as badly as it did before. Then, she turned to the club members, who applied pressure to the wound and put a bandage over the injection site.

"T-Toriel, can I see you for a m-moment?" Alphys asked, as the first aid began to wind down.

"Of course," Toriel replied, before turning to her students. "You can go back to your club room. I believe you deserve a break."

"Yes, headmistress," the club members said in unison.

"See you around, Dipper," Cameron added as they left. Dipper only nodded as he continued to comfort his cousin.

For a while, there was no speaking, until Sans placed his hand over Frisk's. "i'm so sorry, kid," he apologized. "if i knew what i know now-"

"You didn't," Frisk interrupted. "This is all my fault."

"It's not your fault at all, Frisk!" Mabel protested. "It was Chara's! She forced you to hurt your friends."

"Yeah. Chara is very persuasive. I should know," Dipper agreed, looking down at his feet.

Sans smiled at both of them, before looking to Frisk. She started to laugh. "When you said they were just like Papyrus, you weren't joking!" she said, grinning from ear-to-ear as tears streamed down her face.

"we're family, frisk. we'll always stand by your side," Sans continued. Then, as if on cue, the three of them hugged Frisk.

Frisk smothered them all in her soft sweater. She felt like a teddy bear and despite comforting her, Dipper felt comforted as well. It was as if in that one moment, everything was okay. Deep down, he may have been scared for the future. Scared of the tide that would flood them with problems, but in that one moment, he seemed to be frozen in the present, and really, was that so bad?

Maybe, for once, the tide didn't matter.

* * *

It was late at night, and Sans felt like he was about to face an impending nightmare. After putting Dipper and Mabel to bed and dropping off Frisk at home, he went to Toriel's to hear what the doctor had said. He could only assume it was bad news, given by the fact Toriel entered the gym with a teary-eyed expression after talking with Alphys. As usual, the two of them had tea as she relayed what had been said.

"As usual, the DT continues to improve her condition. However, Alphys is running low on DT, especially since the original 6 SOULS are missing," she explained, warming her hands up with her tea. "Green magic doesn't seem to help and every injury seems to accelerate the symptoms. The injuries may go away with DT, but their impact doesn't."

"In short, if we don't find a solution or a way to get more DT without harming humans, Frisk will continue to deteriorate. Alphys estimates she has five years, tops."

"is it a problem with frisk's dt levels?" Sans asked, thinking through everything that could go wrong.

"No. They're just as strong as ever," she responded. "It's as she said. Her RESETS, as she calls them, are catching up to her and there seems to be no easy way to stop them."

Sans looked down into his tea. "heh. shows how good of a parent i am. my first time raising a child and she's destined to die."

Toriel sighed. "It sometimes feels like that, doesn't it? It's not our faults, but we can't help but feel guilty."

"i'm starting to think i'm unlucky," he replied with a sad grin.

"I guess that makes two of us," she answered, as she stood up and kissed Sans on the head. Then, her eyes fixated on the window in her room. It was a strange sort of feeling. It was like she could feel the incoming tsunami of problems coming. Maybe it was just her paranoia, but looking at Sans, she noticed that he was also looking out, concerned.

"Looks like a storm's coming," was all she said, and all Sans did was nod.

* * *

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	15. Important Author's Note

***Hey guys! Blast here. It has been a while.**

 ***So, you may be wondering why I am writing this note and why I haven't updated in months.**

 ***To put your minds at ease, I am not abandoning this story. In fact, I am doing the opposite. I am trying to put all my work towards this story until it's eventual finish.**

 ***Why has a new chapter not been released?**

 ***Well, it's because I am working on another part of this story.**

 ***A friendly reviewer named NBoss01 reviewed my story and brought up a good point. The beginning chapters are... not my best.**

 ***They weren't unbearable, otherwise people wouldn't have been able to read any further, but they didn't stand up to time. They were the chapters that were dragging the story down, when compared to Chara Strike Back.**

 ***I have learned since I started my first chapter. I have taken creative writing classes. I have planned out everything until the end of this fanfic, something I didn't do in the beginning (which really shows).**

 ***In other words, as a learning writer, I have improved and I have learned to take criticism and make changes. So, with help from NBoss01, I am rewriting the beginning chapters.**

 ***Now, let me clarify what I mean.**

 ***The beginning chapters are from chapter one all the way to A Pine Tree and Oka. This may be subject to change, but those ones are in need of revision.**

 ***Rewriting means that some of the chapters will simply be revised. They are just rewritten to be more like my current writing style.**

 ***Others will entirely be rewritten, with new plots. In other words, the old chapters will be gone. For the fans of the old chapters, I might put them in a new story for nostalgia's sake, if anyone is upset about the change. It'll sorta archive them so that I can see how much I improved.**

 ***What I am saying is that this story is changing, and in order to understand future plot points, you might want to read the revised chapters.**

 ***And then there are the ones that will be cut altogether, because they serve no purpose other than fluff. Fluff has its purposes, but sometimes, it can drag things down.**

 ***For example, the beginning of one of my favorite shows is painful and full of fluff, but it is necessary to understand future plot points. The plot really began to ramp up afterwards and those moments of fluff that came in the middle of the plot seemed to slow it down.**

 ***Some of my fluff serves no purpose AT ALL! In order to keep the pacing and to set a standard that shows I won't be doing fluff that is unnecessary, they will be cut.**

 ***Finally, about the new chapter. I am writing the new chapter while I am revising. My creativity comes in bursts for different writing. When I tire of one, I work on the other. Therefore, I am revising AND writing the new chapter.**

 ***When I am done with the revisions, and everyone is satisfied, I will post the new chapter. That will be a sign that all revisions have been made.**

 ***Thank you for your patience. You don't know how much I love seeing people react to my story. Everyone who follows my story should feel listened to, and I am willing to chat with any reviewer or follower any day. Again, thank you!**

 ***We'll meet again~**


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